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

Tuesday, December 26, 4:18 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the Week 16 loss to the Detroit Lions. He is expected to be placed on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the season. Given the late-season injury, the 26-year-old could start the 2024 season on the PUP list. The former first-round pick signed a four-year, $66 million contract this offseason with Minnesota. Hockenson had career-highs in receptions, receiving, yards, and targets during his first entire season with the Vikings. He caught 95 of 127 targets for 965 yards and five touchdowns over 15 games in 2023. Hockenson will likely undergo surgery in the next few weeks and looks to recover fully in 2024. Josh Oliver is expected to be Minnesota's top tight end with Hockenson sidelined. Fantasy managers searching for tight end help or a replacement for Hockenson can look to add Oliver in most league formats.

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.