Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Brock Bowers

Friday, December 19, 4:10 PM

Coming off his best yardage output of the season last week, Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson will see a tougher matchup in Week 16 when his team travels east to play the New York Giants. While the Giants are 2-12 and nobody's idea of stingy, they've been best against tight ends from a fantasy perspective. New York has struggled against other skill-position groups, but ranks eighth against PPR tight ends. Hockenson went for 66 yards on four catches last week at Dallas, but has been held under 40 receiving yards 10 times in 14 games as the Vikings have been erratic because of injuries and underperformance at quarterback. Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy has looked significantly better in the past two weeks, but Hockenson has been quiet in so many games this year that managers should consider him a lower-end option with fantasy playoffs on deck.

Friday, December 19, 5:03 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers has an opportunity to bounce back in Week 16 against the Houston Texans. The second-year tight end is coming off a disappointing Week 15 showing without quarterback Geno Smith (back, shoulder), hauling in six of his eight targets for just 28 yards, scoring single-digit fantasy points for the first time since Week 10. Despite this poor result, Bowers played 90% of the team's snaps, ran a route on every drop-back, and had a target share of 32%, signifying his importance in Las Vegas' overall passing scheme. Smith will start in Week 16, and Bowers is his preferred target against a Texans defense that just gave up 12 receptions, 134 yards, and two touchdowns to Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, a career day for him, in Week 15. Since returning from injury in Week 9, Bowers has been a steady TE1 option for fantasy managers, averaging 16.9 PPR points per game. Bowers has a safe floor and should be started in all league formats in Week 16, but a sputtering Raiders' offense against a dominant Texans defense will probably limit his upside.