Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Darius Slayton

Friday, October 3, 4:13 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is a mid-range TE2 heading into his team's Week 5 meeting against the strong defense of the Cleveland Browns. The veteran tight end has picked up the pace during the past two weeks, going for 11 targets, nine catches, 88 yards, and a touchdown with backup quarterback Carson Wentz under center, but Minnesota has bigger issues on Sunday. The Vikings have ruled out three of five starters on the offensive line, hampering an offense that was already without starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and running back Aaron Jones (hamstring). Against a Browns defense with one of the top defensive lines in the game, the Vikings are facing a tall task that could limit the number of opportunities for offensive players like Hockenson.

Wednesday, October 15, 5:21 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring) missed the first practice of the week on Wednesday, according to Dan Salomone of Giants.com. Slayton suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 5 loss to the New Orleans Saints and didn't practice on a short week before missing last Thursday night's upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Another DNP to begin Week 7 preparation is a bad sign, but Slayton still has two more days to get back onto the practice field. If the 28-year-old cannot do so, he'll miss a second straight game this Sunday versus the Denver Broncos on the road. Slayton figures to be one of New York's top pass-catchers the rest of the year now that Malik Nabers (knee) is done for the season, but he needs to get healthy first. If Slayton gets cleared to play on Sunday, he'll be a WR4/flex, at best, against a stingy Denver defense.