Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Isaiah Likely
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 33.8 | 0.2 |
T.J. Hockenson News
Thursday, July 23, 12:45 PM
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is no longer being drafted as a weekly difference-maker, which is probably where his 2026 appeal starts. He caught 51 of 66 targets for 438 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last season, his lowest yardage total since his rookie year. Minnesota's offense was a mess around him. Three quarterbacks started, the line cycled through 26 combinations, and Hockenson's routes were reduced because he had to stay in and help in protection. The setup is better, not clean. J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray will split first-team work early in camp, while Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings leave plenty of competition for targets. Hockenson remains the Vikings' lead receiving tight end after restructuring his contract, though he played only 69% of the offensive snaps last year. RotoBaller lists him at TE22 with an ADP of 161.6. That is late enough to take a chance, but managers should pair him with another tight end rather than count on a full return to form.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 37.7 | 0.3 |
Isaiah Likely News
Friday, July 17, 10:18 AM
The New York Giants have a lot riding on new tight end Isaiah Likely after they signed him to a three-year, $40 million deal in free agency in March, so it's good to hear from John Fennelly of Giants Wire that he and new quarterback Jaxson Dart "have already shown a connection in early workouts this past spring." The former fourth-rounder by the Baltimore Ravens out of Coastal Carolina in 2022 could never get out of Mark Andrews' shadow in his four seasons with the Ravens, but he'll have a chance to immediately break out in 2026 in his first year in the Big Apple after following head coach John Harbaugh to the Giants. The G-Men think that the 26-year-old can become offensive coordinator Matt Nagy's receiving tight end out of the slot to create mismatches for opposing defenses. Likely can also be used as a blocker, but the Giants will probably have others do most of that. After catching 135 of his 194 targets for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons with the Ravens, Likely will enter 2026 as a low-end TE1 target/high-end TE2 target in fantasy drafts with the potential for a true breakout in New York.
T.J. Hockenson vs. Isaiah Likely
Still trying to decide between Hockenson and Likely? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that T.J. Hockenson is projected to score 8.4 points this week while Isaiah Likely is projected to score 9.0 points.
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