Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph Could Be In For A Breakout Season

Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) runs with the ball after making a catch in the first quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph could be due for a breakout season. He doesn’t get the recognition like Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez, but he could start to gain notice soon.

He is the safety net for Christian Ponder in the offense and Rudolph is one of the Vikings biggest red zone threats. He isn’t Adrian Peterson or anything, but he does have Peterson as a teammate to take all the attention of the defenders.

Look at some of the statistical areas that Rudolph led all tight ends in: red zone receptions (14), receiving yards in the red zone (95), red zone touchdowns (9). Think Ponder feels safe throwing the ball to Rudolph in the red zone?

If you are a fantasy football fan, this could be a sneaky selection after all the big name tight ends are gone. Since nobody pays attention to the Pro Bowl, you may not know that Rudolph was selected to the Pro Bowl team and won the Pro Bowl MVP. That is how sneaky good he can be.