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

Thursday, June 13, 12:55 AM

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry has been the top dog at the position so far in offseason workouts. Henry has been reliable between the numbers for the team's quarterbacks. Along with Henry, seventh-round rookie Jaheim Bell is finding his footing in practices, and his speed to run the seam has become more apparent with each repetition. Austin Hooper has struggled at times to create separation and is set to carve out more of a role as a blocker in the run game than as a receiver. The 29-year-old had a career-low 419 receiving yards in a bad Patriots offense last year, but don't let his six touchdown passes go overlooked. He signed a three-year extension to stay in New England this offseason and should once again be a highly-used red-zone target by either quarterback Jacoby Brissett or rookie Drake Maye. Henry could be an intriguing touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy, especially if Maye takes the starting job sooner than later.

Monday, July 22, 2:07 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) will start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. It's not a surprise, although O'Connell said Hockenson is "well ahead of schedule" with his rehab from ACL surgery in late January. The 27-year-old tight end tore his ACL at the end of last season and is doubtful to be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 campaign despite being ahead of scheduled this offseason. In addition to coming off a major injury, Hockenson will be more of a fantasy question mark now that he's going from quarterback Kirk Cousins to a potential mixture of Sam Darnold and rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy this season. Even when Hockenson does return to the field in the regular season, he's likely to be eased in, so he should be considered more of a high-end TE2 stash in fantasy football drafts this fall.