Visanthe

Shiancoe

Shiancoe missed most of August with the hamstring injury, but he will be good to go against the Chargers this week. He’s no better than a low-end TE2 option to start the season.

Donovan McNabb found Shiancoe open in the middle of the end zone after fielding a ground-ball shotgun snap. Shiancoe saw just two targets compared to three for rookie Kyle Rudolph, who caught all three for 39 yards.

Shiancoe’s leaked out wide open on his lone catch, taking the ball up the right sideline. But Donovan McNabb was ridiculously inaccurate otherwise as Shiancoe had just one catch on six targets. Shiancoe is averaging just 2.7 catches per game this season.

A scattershot McNabb averaged just 171 yards per game at just 6.6 yards per attempt in a 1-5 start. With any chance at the playoffs dashed, the only sensible move was to play the first-round pick. Though Ponder was shaky in preseason action, he showed positive signs in relief of McNabb Sunday night. There’s enough talent on this offense to give Ponder a shot at QB2 value in a best-case scenario. His eight rushes for 61 yards in one half of the preseason finale suggest Ponder will add value on the ground. McNabb was bad enough that the move can be viewed as good news for the entire offense.

Christian Ponder may end up breathing life into Shiancoe’s season. The two connected for a 1-yard score on the first drive, and Shiancoe shared the team lead with eight targets. Now looking like a viable TE2 option, Shiancoe has a Week 8 matchup against the Panthers followed by the bye week.

The visit had been expected for several days. Shiancoe knows Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell from their Minnesota days, and is a natural fit as Seattle’s No. 2 tight end behind Zach Miller. We’d be surprised if this union didn’t happen.

Led by MLB E.J. Henderson and TE Visanthe Shiancoe, the Vikings have an unimpressive group of in-house free agents. ESPN 1500 Twin Cities reported in November that Henderson would be a “backup plan at best” this offseason. Shiancoe is expected to walk.

Shiancoe is reportedly drawing interest from six teams, and wasn’t a priority for the Vikings after the end of the regular season. He’s no longer needed in Minnesota following the rapid emergence of Kyle Rudolph.

Shiancoe could follow Tarvaris Jackson and Sidney Rice to “Vikings West” under former coordinator Darrell Bevell. The Seahawks wanted John Carlson back to run two-tight end sets with Zach Miller. That could end up Shiancoe’s role instead.

Shiancoe obviously turned it down, perhaps realizing that Kyle Rudolph would take over as the starter in 2012. Even at age 31, Shiancoe is arguably the top tight end on the market with John Carlson (shoulder) coming off a lost season and Martellus Bennett offering potential over production.