Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Pat Freiermuth

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.

Sunday, December 7, 9:15 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth continues to play less than half of the offensive snaps, and he seems to be third on the tight end pecking order behind both Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith. Freiermuth was held without a target last Sunday, and he has a modest seven catches over his last four games. The 27-year-old ranks as the overall TE24 so far this season, and his fantasy value has been largely dependent on scoring touchdowns. He has exceeded 6.5 fantasy points (PPR) just three times this year, and it happened in the three games where he scored at least one touchdown. His chances of getting back on track this week are very slim as he takes on the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore has played strong defense against tight ends in 2025, allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points to the position. Freiermuth ranks as the overall TE30 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings. He can be avoided in most leagues during Week 14.