Irv Smith Jr.'s Fantasy Outlook as a Top Waiver-Wire TE Sleeper

Irv Smith Jr. has only needed two touches to be among the highest-scoring tight ends for Week 9 in fantasy football.

Smith caught a nine-yard pass from Kirk Cousins in the first quarter Sunday to give the Minnesota Vikings a 13-0 lead on the Detroit Lions.

He found the end zone again with a one-yard reception in the third quarter. 

Minnesota thought highly enough of the former Alabama star to make him a second-round pick in the 2019 draft. His production hasn't lived up to the expectations set when he was selected 50th overall.

The 6'2", 242-pound Smith finished with 36 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. His 2020 numbers entering Sunday (11 receptions, 149 yards, zero scores) haven't been a marked improvement.

Travis Kelce has been far and away the best fantasy option at tight end through the first half of the season. Beyond Kelce, the gap between the other top tight ends and the middle of the pack is fairly large.

Darren Waller's 98.2 points in standard leagues put him at No. 2 on NFL.com. Hunter Henry is 15th with 67.4 points, a difference of 30.8 points. Move down to Austin Hooper in 25th, and the gulf widens to 49.7 points.

If you failed to get one of the elite fantasy scorers, your best strategy at tight end might be going week by week, trawling the waiver wire and playing the matchups.

From that point of view, Smith could be worth a flier for TE-needy managers. Forecasting any consistency from one game to the next is almost impossible, though.

The 22-year-old is fighting for touches against a pair of former Pro Bowlers (Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph) and breakout rookie Justin Jefferson. His single-game high for targets is six, which he did three times in 2019. The New Orleans native's high this season is five, which was accomplished twice.

Smith's value will likely run parallel to his usage in the red zone, and you can't count on him getting touchdown grabs on a regular basis.