Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Cade Stover

Friday, December 5, 3:26 PM

Tight end T.J. Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings has a strong matchup against a bad Washington Commanders defense in Week 14, but fantasy managers should consider him a TE2 option due to the team's continued struggles on offense. The Commanders allow scoring drives at the highest rate in the NFL, but the Vikings are turning over the ball at the highest rate, which has been a major contributor to the team scoring on fewer than 32% of its possessions. Hockenson is coming off his best game of the year with six catches for 59 yards at Seattle, but Minnesota will experience yet another quarterback change now that starter J.J. McCarthy (concussion) is back. Even when the Vikings' offense is at its best, the veteran tight end is the team's third option behind receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, so managers may want to reserve Hockenson only for formats that start more than one tight end.

Saturday, December 6, 6:57 AM

Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover had a new role in Week 13, serving as the team's short-yardage specialist and taking four carries for three yards in addition to catching both of his targets for 16 yards as the team's second tight end. Stover's four carries came on 3rd- or 4th-and-one situations, and he converted two of the four chances for first downs. Three of the carries came in the red zone, and he has the potential to score a short-yardage touchdown in the package if the opportunity arises in the coming weeks. Stover has played three games this season and has six catches for 38 yards, so he's a little involved in the passing game as well. The second-year tight end from Ohio State is only the No. 48 TE in RotoBaller's rankings in Week 14 against the Chiefs, so he can be left on the waiver wire in most formats, but it is interesting that he's getting short-yardage work since it does raise his potential production.