Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Irv Smith Jr.

Monday, July 22, 2:07 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) will start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. It's not a surprise, although O'Connell said Hockenson is "well ahead of schedule" with his rehab from ACL surgery in late January. The 27-year-old tight end tore his ACL at the end of last season and is doubtful to be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 campaign despite being ahead of scheduled this offseason. In addition to coming off a major injury, Hockenson will be more of a fantasy question mark now that he's going from quarterback Kirk Cousins to a potential mixture of Sam Darnold and rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy this season. Even when Hockenson does return to the field in the regular season, he's likely to be eased in, so he should be considered more of a high-end TE2 stash in fantasy football drafts this fall.

Tuesday, March 12, 1:08 PM

Cincinnati Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to a source. Smith had a lot of potential when he entered the league as the Minnesota Vikings' second-round pick in 2019 out of Alabama, but he hasn't lived up to the hype. The 25-year-old had his best season in his second year in the NFL, catching 30 of his 43 targets for 365 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikes in 2020. In his first and only season with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, he had 18 catches on 26 targets for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. In Kansas City, Smith will merely be serving as tight end insurance behind the aging Travis Kelce.