Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (quad) missed Friday's practice. Players who miss Friday practices, in general, don't often play on Sundays. Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) did participate in Friday's workout, so he should be on track to face the Falcons. It's just not a reliable fantasy situation.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph bruised his quad in Sunday's loss to the Raiders. A deep bruise could hold Rudolph out for Week 12, but he'll more than likely be able to take the field against the Falcons. Averaging two catches for 14.8 yards since Christian Ponder took over at quarterback, Rudolph is well off the fantasy radar.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph caught three passes for 37 yards against the Packers in Monday's Week 10 matchup. There was a small amount of hype to start the season for Rudolph, but Rudolph has just 14 receptions on the year and has to contend with Visante Shiancoe. He is still off the TE2 radar.

Kyle Rudolph caught three balls for 44 yards as the Vikings fell to the Chiefs in Week 4. Rudolph's blocking responsibilities have left him on the line to block too much for anything remotely resembling fantasy value. Through four games, the rookie is on pace for just 392 yards on 28 receptions, and has no touchdowns.

According to Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "no Viking has had a better camp" than rookie TE Kyle Rudolph. Early-camp reports were mixed, but Rudolph has come on strong the past couple of weeks, showing "exceptional hands" and "smooth" route running. He's getting plenty of first-team reps with Visanthe Schiancoe (hamstring) sidelined throughout camp. The two will likely cancel each other out for fantasy purposes this season.

Kyle Rudolph was split out as a slot receiver in four of the Vikings' first 15 snaps during Saturday's preseason game.

Vikings signed No. 43 overall pick Kyle Rudolph to a four-year contract. The Vikings will go heavy on two-tight end sets in new OC Bill Musgrave's system, which should allow for Rudolph to be a near every-down player. Donovan McNabb has long been more of a deep-ball thrower than consistently accurate underneath, however. Rudolph and Visanthe Shiancoe figure to cancel themselves out for fantasy purposes. Long term, Rudolph remains a Dynasty league hold.

Larry Fitzgerald has taken Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph "under his wing" during recent workouts, offering high praise for the second-rounder. "He's 270 pounds and he's 6-foot-7," Fitzgerald said. "He can run. He can move and get out of his breaks. He's got great hands. He can hold the edge when he needs to block. I was teasing him already -- I call him Mark Bavaro reincarnated. He's going to be special like that." Rudolph has plenty of long-term fantasy potential, but he's a longshot to outproduce Visanthe Shiancoe as a rookie.

Vikings rookie TE Kyle Rudolph will participate in Larry Fitzgerald's workouts at the University of Minnesota this week. "Once the lockout ends, it's going to be go, go, go," Rudolph said. "So I just want to get settled in and get some work in with Larry Fitz." Rudolph, who landed a copy of coordinator Bill Musgrave's playbook, also spent a week with Christian Ponder and Joe Webb at the IMG Academy in Florida this offseason. The Vikings have to be happy with the second-rounder's commitment level.