Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or T.J. Hockenson

Wednesday, May 27, 10:12 AM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has been disappointing in recent years, and it appears that trend could continue in 2026. Hockenson had a modest 51 catches last season, resulting in just 438 yards and three touchdowns. He has been the TE26 or worse in each of his last two seasons, and he has just three touchdowns over his last 28 regular-season games dating back to 2023. Part of the reason for Hockenson's struggles could be a crowded receiver room of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but more likely, poor quarterback play can be blamed. J.J. McCarthy played in just 10 games last year, and even when he was healthy, he had more interceptions than passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Vikings brought in quarterback competition in Kyler Murray, but his track record of supporting fantasy tight ends isn't great. Trey McBride was the TE10 in standard leagues with Murray healthy last year, and he jumped to TE1 once Murray went down with an injury. It seems like neither McCarthy nor Murray is capable of getting Hockenson back to his pre-2024 form, which consistently saw him rank among the top five fantasy tight ends. His track record is too strong to drop him in dynasty leagues, but he's certainly not startable anytime soon. He should be stashed on the end of the bench in most formats.