Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Cole Kmet

Thursday, May 2, 2:09 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) is ahead of scheduled in his rehab this offseason, but the Vikings are committed to ensuring he is fully healthy before he plays. Last year's contract cemented the team's belief that he is one of its cornerstone players when he's healthy, and they aren't just going to rush a player like that back from a severe injury. Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt will fill in if Hockenson needs to miss the first couple weeks of the 2204 season. Hockenson suffered a torn right ACL and MCL in late December last year, and his recovery this offseason will be a big storyline for Minnesota's offense as they move to a new era without quarterback Kirk Cousins. When healthy, Hockenson is a high-end TE1 in fantasy, but he'll come at a discounted price in drafts this fall if it's looking like he won't be ready to start the year on time.

Sunday, January 7, 10:58 AM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (knee) is expected to play against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 despite being listed as questionable, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The 24-year-old was active last week, too, but essentially occupied a decoy role, playing 18 percent of offensive snaps while failing to command a target. A similar scenario is unlikely this weekend. Instead, Kmet should have a full workload, putting him in the TE1 tier for fantasy purposes.