Who Should I Start? Travis Kelce or T.J. Hockenson

Sunday, January 4, 2:18 AM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will look to finish out the season on a high note in a Week 18 matchup against a middle-of-the-road Las Vegas Raiders' defense. While Kelce hasn't been the fantasy superstar we've grown accustomed to for quite some time now, even at 36 years old, he's enjoying a productive season. Chris Oladokun's inexperience undoubtedly caps some of Kelce's ceiling, although the former didn't look totally overmatched in Week 17's loss to Denver. Moreover, Kelce led the team in yards (36), targets (six), and receptions (five) in that contest. This Sunday, he'll face a Raiders' defense that's been roughly league average. They'll also be without star defensive end Maxx Crosby (knee). With the veteran still a focal point, fantasy managers can rely on Kelce as a back-end TE1 for the matchup. He'll officially land as RotoBaller's PPR TE12 for his meeting with Las Vegas.

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.