Who Should I Start? James Hurst or T.J. Hockenson

Wednesday, April 24, 4:18 PM

Veteran offensive tackle James Hurst announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, marking the end of a 10-year professional career. The 32-year-old was originally undrafted out of North Carolina in the 2014 class and signed by the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent. He spent six seasons with Baltimore before four campaigns with the New Orleans Saints. Hurst played in 150 games with 95 starts, so he clearly exceeded expectations and is a feel-good story for undrafted prospects.

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.