Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Jake Ferguson

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.

Thursday, January 29, 3:31 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson didn't have much of a chance in 2024 after quarterback Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury, finishing his third year in the NFL with 59 catches, 494 yards, and zero touchdowns in 14 starts. Ferguson was able to bounce back in 2025, though, with a career-high 82 receptions on 102 targets for 600 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in 17 contests. It wasn't all great for the 27-year-old, though, as he didn't go over 20 receiving yards in any of his final four games while also finishing with a career-low 7.3 yards per catch. All in all, it was a successful fourth year in the NFL. Ferguson was the TE7 in half-PPR scoring, and he will be a no-doubt TE1 target in fantasy football drafts this fall as the top pass-catching tight end in the Cowboys' high-scoring offense. Despite receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens seeing their fair share of targets, Ferguson was one of only eight TEs who saw over 100 targets in 2025.