Who Should I Start? Ross Dwelley or T.J. Hockenson

Tuesday, December 30, 11:07 AM

The Carolina Panthers have signed tight end Ross Dwelley to their practice squad, per ESPN's David Newton. Newton reports that Dwelley has a chance to be elevated to the active roster for Carolina's Week 18 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in light of tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 17. Dwelley appeared in 11 games for the Detroit Lions this season, recording two receptions for seven yards on five targets. He's played in 112 career NFL games across eight seasons, hauling in 47 catches for 530 yards and five touchdowns. Carolina still has tight ends Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, and James Mitchell on the active roster, so Dwelley would likely fill a depth role. Tremble appears most likely to serve as the team's primary receiving tight end with Sanders sidelined.

Friday, January 2, 5:19 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (shoulder) will not play in Sunday's Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Green Bay Packers, according to Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. Hockenson was unable to practice at all this week and will miss a second straight game to close out the 2025 season. The 28-year-old was highly inconsistent this year for fantasy managers as a starting tight end option, primarily because of the inconsistent play that the Vikings got out of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Going into Week 18, Hockenson ranks as the TE23 overall in half-PPR scoring with 51 catches on 65 targets for 438 yards and only three touchdowns in 15 games played. With Hockenson out again this weekend, Josh Oliver will be the team's TE1, but he'll be a risky, touchdown-dependent TE2 streaming option for fantasy managers with McCarthy returning in Week 18.