Who Should I Start? David Njoku or T.J. Hockenson

Friday, December 12, 1:30 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) has officially been ruled out for his team's Week 15 matchup against the Chicago Bears due to a knee injury. The 29-year-old aggravated an existing knee injury during Cleveland's Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and he will now be sidelined for at least one game as a result. Without Njoku, Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. profiles as a must-start fantasy tight end. With Njoku banged up in Week 14, Fannin Jr. hauled in eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. In Njoku's lone missed game this season, Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, Fannin Jr. earned a 27.8% target share. Depending on how long Njoku is sidelined by his current injury, Fannin Jr. could have league-winning upside.

Friday, December 12, 4:14 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (shin) is coming off a highlight-worthy touchdown last week, but a decrease in passing volume will once again keep him as a low-end TE2 option when the Vikings travel to Dallas in Week 15. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy played the best game of his NFL career last week, which coincided with a tight-end-friendly gameplan. All three of McCarthy's passing touchdowns went to tight ends -- two to Josh Oliver and one to Hockenson -- but just three overall targets went Hockenson's way as Minnesota prioritized its running game. The Cowboys have been abysmal against the pass overall, surrendering the most passing touchdowns and second-most yards, but receivers have done much more damage: Dallas ranks a respectable 11th against half-PPR tight ends. While Hockenson is off the injury report, he's averaging just 3.5 catches and 28.5 yards per game, so he's best saved for formats that start more than one tight end.