T.J. Hockenson

Fantasy Upside
T.J. Hockenson has demonstrated his value as a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings. After a midseason trade from the Lions to the Vikings in 2022, Hockenson's performance saw a significant uptick. In his first seven games with the Lions, he averaged 6.1 targets and had 26 catches. However, after the trade, Hockenson averaged 8.6 targets in Minnesota and had 60 catches in 10 games. He also had 10 catches for 129 yards in the Vikings' playoff loss to the Giants. Now entering his prime at age 26, Hockenson is poised to be a key pass-catching option in the Vikings' offense.

Fantasy Downside
While Hockenson's performance with the Vikings has been promising, there are still some concerns. His production can be inconsistent, and he may face competition for targets within the Vikings' offense. Hockenson is the clear #2 option in the passing game behind Justin Jefferson.

2023 Bottom Line
Hockenson is currently ranked as TE3 for the 2023 fantasy season. His performance in the upcoming season will largely depend on his ability to maintain his target share and continue his strong performance from the latter part of the 2022 season. He's worth considering as a TE1 in your draft, given his proven ability to produce when given the opportunity.

Week 16 vs. New York Giants
T.J. Hockenson ended up as the odd man out of the Vikings' wild comeback victory against the Colts last week. Even in a game where Kirk Cousins threw for 460 yards and four touchdowns, Hockenson only caught three balls on his nine targets for 33 scoreless yards. The fact that Hockenson is still seeing nine targets even in his down performances is a great sign for his floor moving into the final weeks of the fantasy season. He is retaining a large target share behind Justin Jefferson and the Vikings consistently have to go to the air with their defense being shredded on a regular basis. If you're rostering Hockenson, shake off the slow day in Week 15 and get him back into lineups as a solid TE1 who should be due for some positive regression against a Giants defense that ranks among the worst ten defenses in the league in allowing fantasy production to the tight end spot.

Week 14 at Detroit Lions
T.J. Hockenson had his worst game as a Viking in Week 13 when he only managed 33 scoreless yards on four receptions and six targets in a tough matchup against a good Jets defense. Things will take a turn for the better this week when Hockenson gets a "Revenge Game" opportunity against the team that drafted and traded him. It helps that the Lions' defense is bad against tight ends. They currently rank as the third-best matchup in the league for the position according to schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed. With a good matchup against his former team on deck, Hockenson's projected workload puts him in the top-five plays at his position for Week 14.