Robert

Tonyan

Tonyan was a relatively surprising cut by the Vikings on Tuesday, but they’re able to keep the 30-year-old tight end in the organization. He could be active on game days especially with TJ Hockenson (knee) unavailable, but his days of fantasy significance are likely over.

Tonyan was thought to have had a strong shot at making the Vikings’ roster, with T.J. Hockenson (knee) opening the year on injured reserve. Tonyan surprised in 2020 when he caught 52 passes for 586 yards and 11 scores, but was limited to just five games in 2021 due to injury. He’s caught 64 passes for 582 yards and two scores over the last two seasons and was relegated to a backup role last season with the Bears. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him catch on with another team in the coming days.

O’Connell stopped short of declaring an expected return-to-play date before saying the team wants Tonyan to “take part” in preseason play. Vikings coaches were undoubtedly hoping one of their veteran tight ends would establish himself as an early-season replacement for recovering starter T.J. Hockenson (ACL and MCL). Tonyan’s back issue leaves the team with Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt for now. Both players respectably averaged 1.50 yards per route run last year while earning 18.0-plus-percent target rates. The competition’s winner could have streaming viability in September.

The story isn’t Hockenson landing on the PUP list; that was always expected, given the significance of his injury and that it occurred in Week 16. The real story is his recovery. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Hockenson is “well ahead of schedule” in his recovery and that he’s hit several recovery benchmarks throughout his rehab. In his first full season with the Vikings, Hockenson turned in a career year, catching 95 passes for 960 yards and five touchdowns. He finished as the overall TE2 in fantasy points per game (14.7) in PPR leagues and should have plenty of big fantasy performances in store once healthy. There’s a good chance Hockenson misses a chunk of games to begin the season as he continues his recovery, but it sounds as if things are progressing in the right direction. Tight ends Josh Oliver and Robert Tonyan are expected to compete for starting snaps in training camp.

The journeyman tight end impressed the Vikings enough for them to sign him in mid-May as a potential short-term replacement for TJ Hockenson, who is recovering from a 2023 knee injury and could miss time in the regular season. Tonyan in OTA sessions has been a “favorite target” of Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, and the other Minnesota QBs, per Lewis. If Tonyan, 30, gets a full complement of routes in the pass-first Vikings offense, he could be more than serviceable in fantasy leagues this fall.

Hockenson suffered a torn ACL and MCL in last year’s Week 16 loss to the Lions. The veteran tight end said he and the team are “taking it day by day, week by week” and noted that there are “so many variables” that one can go through during the rehab process. Hockenson also added he’s “doing really good right now,” which is an encouraging sign for the Vikings and fantasy managers. Still, the late timing of his injury could result in him missing time early in the season as he continues his recovery. The Vikings have Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt both on the roster and also signed Robert Tonyan to a contract earlier this week. If they don’t feel like Hockenson is ready to go, they have the players in place to wait out his recovery should it continue into the regular season.

Tonyan joined the Bears as a free agent last offseason and caught just 11 passes for 112 scoreless yards while playing primarily behind Cole Kmet. He’s a player with two seasons of 450-plus yards on his resume, including a productive 2020 in which he went for 52-586-11. With that said, Tonyan is once again looking to be banished to the bench behind T.J. Hockenson and veteran Josh Oliver. While it’s possible he’ll work his way onto the field in two tight end sets or due to injuries, he has little to no fantasy upside at this time.

Tonyan capped off his quiet 2023 with just one target in a Week 18 loss to the Packers. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Bears prior to the season and is set to hit free agency again in the offseason. With a receiving line of 11-112-0, Tonyan was off the fantasy radar in 2023 and will depend on his landing spot for fantasy relevancy in 2024. If he is signed by a team without a fantasy TE1 incumbent, Tonyan would enter weekly streamer relevancy.

Kmet managed just 13 snaps in Week 17 against the Falcons, failing to log a single pass route. Meanwhile, Robert Tonyan was second on the team in routes and caught three of four targets for 40 yards. The Bears could rest Kmet in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Packers. Tonyan would become interesting for DFS purposes.

Like all of the Bears’ receiving weapons, their ultimate upside on Sunday was hurt by Justin Fields holding onto the ball too long and the offensive line’s inability to consistently create a safe pocket. However, the Bears also figure to be down often this season, and Kmet has been a frequent target in the passing game. His only competition at tight end, Robert Tonyan, had no catches on two targets, so Kmet’s role on the team seems fairly safe. There will likely be bigger days when the Bears see more garbage time. Perhaps like next week against the Chiefs.