Irv Smith Jr. start or sit: Week 5 fantasy football advice

The Minnesota Vikings will prepare for an NFC North showdown as they face the Chicago Bears in Week 5. Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. will look to capitalize on the matchup, and we break down how the opponent stacks against him and whether he should be a lock to start in your fantasy leagues this week.

Fantasy Football analysis: Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr.

Smith continues to work his way into a prominent role in the Vikings’ offense, but last week’s outing across the pond was a quiet one for the tight end. Smith saw just four targets and hauled in three catches for 23 yards and 5.3 PPR fantasy points. The game plan clearly strayed away from him as Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen were the clear impact players through the air. He’ll look to get back on track against the Bears, also Chicago hasn’t been too favorable against tight ends based on stats alone.

The Bears have surrendered the tenth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends (4.9), although their quarterback competition wasn’t too fearsome in three of those four games. The volume of targets will ultimately determine Smith’s fantasy ceiling, and the truth is that it is unknown when playing behind two receivers that have the clear trust of Kirk Cousins under center.

Start or sit in Week 5?

With little fantasy production to instill confidence in starting Smith in lineups, the Vikings tight end is a sit in Week 5. Smith will need to accumulate more games with a sufficient volume of targets before he’s a lock-in to start in fantasy lineups on a weekly basis.