Vikings at Titans: 5 best fantasy options

3. Kyle Rudolph

Be it Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford (and you won’t see either Vikings quarterback on this Top 5 list), both passers will be looking for a best friend this Sunday.

And against Dick LeBeau’s 3-4 defense, Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph will prove to an extremely valuable commodity. In five seasons, the former Golden Domer has totaled 182 receptions for 1,781 yards and 22 scores. A year ago, he started all 16 games for the first time since 2012 and responded with 49 grabs for 495 yards and a team-high five touchdown receptions.

While we await Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer’s decision on his starting quarterback (Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tells us that the team will keep us waiting until Sunday), there’s little doubt that Hill and/or Bradford will be looking the way of Rudolph, who should consistently find holes in the Titans scheme. With outside linebackers more focused on rushing the passer rather than dropping back in coverage, there will be some opportunities for some big plays from the one-time Pro Bowl tight end.

Look for the Vikings to try and exploit Tennessee outside linebacker Derrick Morgan, who has made a fine transition from the defensive end spot in recent seasons and ranked fourth on the club in 2015 with 4.5 sacks. But he would be hard-pressed to keep up with Rudolph, who will exploit LeBeau’s unit underneath and perhaps a few times deep downfield.

While there may not be a lot of scoring in this contest, Minnesota’s talented tight end could easily wind up leading his club with 8-10 receptions by game’s end.

Next: Steady As He Goes