Who Should I Start? Hunter Henry or T.J. Hockenson

Thursday, February 19, 8:49 AM

Since signing with the New England Patriots in 2021, tight end Hunter Henry has turned in a top-12 finish in three of five seasons, never finishing below TE21. While he lacks the big game consistency to stay off the waiver wire in redraft formats, he's the exact type of player drafters should be targeting in the later rounds of best ball drafts, especially in three-tight-end builds. Henry has become a trusted red zone weapon for Drake Maye and has five multi-touchdown games in his career, providing occasional week-winning spikes that can be difficult to predict when streaming the position. Henry finished as the TE7 in 2025 and is currently going outside the top 12 at the position in early best ball drafts.

Thursday, February 12, 8:02 AM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson had an underwhelming season as the team endured poor quarterback play and inconsistency at the position. Hockenson played 15 games in 2025, starting all of them. He caught 51 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns, posting the lowest receiving yards total and fantasy points per game mark since he was a rookie. He ultimately finished as the overall TE26 in full-PPR leagues. Although it's fair to blame the trio of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer for Hockenson's frustrating year, that doesn't mean he'll magically bounce back in 2026. McCarthy is due back as the Vikings' quarterback next season. Interestingly, Hockenson also struggled with Sam Darnold as his quarterback in 2024, so he really hasn't been a trustworthy fantasy tight end since Kirk Cousins quarterbacked the Vikings in 2023. Hockenson is under contract for two more years, but the Vikings have a potential out this offseason. If Minnesota releases Hockenson post-June 1, they would create $15.96 million in cap space while taking on $5.34 million in dead money. It certainly wouldn't hurt the Vikings to keep the veteran tight end to help support McCarthy's development, but we also wouldn't be surprised to see the team's next general manager capitalize on this opportunity to create cap space.