Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com conducted his Friday mailbag column and was asked about the Lions featuring TE T.J. Hockenson this week. "T.J. Hockenson has at least four receptions and 50 receiving yards in each of Detroit's first three contests," wrote Twentyman.

"... New Orleans has struggled defending the tight end this season. They've given up 29 catches for 200 yards and four touchdowns in three games to opposing tight ends. I'd expect Hockenson, (Jesse) James and potentially Hunter Bryant, who returned to practice this week, to be a big part of the offense this week. This is a copycat league, and teams will exploit you until you prove you can stop it."

Hockenson's floor has been zero more often than not over his career, but 2020 has shown a higher floor with a lower ceiling. Hockenson has to step up this week because the Saints do have imposing cornerbacks on the outside and could shut down Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. The second-year tight end should be a TE1 in what has been another down year for the position.

Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press wrote Friday about the visible chemistry between Lions QB Matthew Stafford and TE T.J. Hockenson after nearly a year away from their last game action with each other. "Sure, they had gotten some practice during training camp and offseason workouts that Stafford organized," wrote Monarrez. "But no one knew how good their chemistry would be in the season opener, given the major irregularities of the offseason."

“Yeah it was good,” Stafford said Wednesday of his chemistry with Hockenson. “Coach did a nice job drawing up some play to get him some chances and he capitalized on them. His touchdown, he’s probably the most-covered guy on the field. I jammed it in there to him, but it was a nice catch. I was happy for him.”

Stafford and Hockenson opened 2019 with a bang before Hockenson disappeared from the fantasy landscape and Stafford was lost for the season. 2020 started off well and should continue, especially if WR Kenny Golladay continues to miss time. Hockenson will see plenty of extra coverage this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, but is firmly in the TE1 conversation.

In his Friday morning mail bag, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com was asked who the Lions' most improved player would be. "This is an easy one for me – second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson," wrote Twentyman. "We saw his potential right out of the gate last year when he caught six passes for 131 yards and a score Week 1 in Arizona. He didn't replicate that again as a rookie, but I strongly believe we'll see more performances like that again in year two."

Twentyman went on to say that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell wants to get tight ends more involved in 2020, and that he expects "big things" from Hockenson.

Twentyman is not the first to say Hockenson would make a jump in 2020, but he is as plugged in to the Lions as any writer. Hockenson is a mismatch for majority of defenders and should be an integral part of the Lions offense, especially if Kenny Golladay were to miss any time to start the season.

According to The Athletic, Detroit Lions sophomore tight end T.J. Hockenson has been impressive at practice.

One of the most talented two-way tight end prospects in recent memory, Hockenson impressing in practice would not usually be newsworthy. However, the second year tight end is working his way back from an ankle injury, so his progress ahead of what could be a breakout season is worth monitoring. The Athletic reports that Hockenson routinely beat defensive backs off the line of scrimmage with his release, before putting his route running skills and receiving ability to work to haul in a number of impressive catches. 23rd in our tight end rankings for the 2020 season, Hockenson could prove to be an ADP value if he can find some consistency this season.

T.J. Hockenson says the ankle has been an issue for him this offseason, he notices it's still not quite 100%.

Despite that, he's still out there running around and trying to push forward the tweet said. We rank him 19th on our TE list making him a low-end TE2 option. He'll fight to be the third option with Danny Amendola in Detroit.

The team announced on Saturday that tight end T.J. Hockenson, cornerback Amani Oruwariye and punter Arryn Siposs have been activated from the list.

We rank Hockenson 20th among TEs. Not much has changed in Detroit, so Hockenson should compete with Danny Amendola to be the third option behind Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones.