T.J.

Hockenson

It was Hockenson’s best game of the 2025 season, and it came with undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer under center while JJ McCarthy deals with a head injury he sustained in Week 12. Hockenson was second on the team in targets and led all Minnesota pass catchers with 59 yards. He had more than 30 receiving yards just five times in 2025 headed into Week 13. Perhaps Brosmer’s check-down tendencies can make Hockenson fantasy relevant again if the rookie gets another start in Week 14 against the Falcons.

Hockenson managed a five-yard catch on third-and-9, a five-yard catch on second-and-17, a four-yard catch on third-and-12, and a five-yard catch on first-and-10. He also was stuffed on a third-and-1 quarterback sneak as the acting sneaker. Nobody is surviving the J.J. McCarthy blast radius in Minnesota as a usable fantasy option right now, and Hockenson is a TE2 as a result.

Hockenson had two crucial drops in this one, doing no favors for his struggling young quarterback, who completed just 48 percent of his throws. With six total receptions over his past three outings, Hockenson’s meager Week 11 stat line is one of his best of the 2025 season. The veteran is a distance third or fourth option in the low-volume Minnesota passing offense and probably should not be started in 12-team leagues next week against the Packers.

In a game that saw J.J. McCarthy drop back 47 times, Hockenson somehow still only managed to see two targets. It’s been a disappointing season for the veteran tight end, who entered the day sporting a 31-241-2 line on 39 targets. The volume hasn’t been there for Hockenson all season, and the poor quarterback play only amplifies that issue. Fantasy managers shouldn’t view him as anything more than a TE2 in Week 11 against the Bears.

Hockenson’s seven-yard score was just his second of the season. It was a first quarter rollout strike from a returning J.J. McCarthy. The second-year pro had extremely limited passing success afterward, but he showed just enough to consider the afternoon a step in the right direction. Be that as it may, Hockenson’s floor is too low — to say nothing of his ceiling odds — to consider him anything other than a low-end TE2 for Week 10 against the Ravens.

Hockenson’s three targets are a season low, and unfortunately more inline to his disappointing first two contests when he had a combined 27 yards. The 28-year-old tight end is a decent bounceback candidate for Week 9 against his former team in the Lions, but it’s worth noting that J.J. McCarthy could be under center for that contest, and Hockenson and McCarthy didn’t appear to have much of a connection early on. Just something to keep in mind.

Hockenson had a 15-yard touchdown as the Vikings were trailing in the fourth quarter, but the replay booth decided that he didn’t complete the process of the catch. Minnesota wound up kicking a field goal. Hockenson has been a reliable dumpoff valve for Carson Wentz, his aDOT has fallen to 5.0 this year from 9.0 in 2024, which has made fantasy value harder to come by as Hockenson isn’t exactly going to shake many tacklers in the open field. He’ll remain a borderline TE1/2 against the Chargers in Week 8.

Hockenson earned a respectable target share of 18 percent but was held under 50 yards for the fifth time this year. He has just one touchdown and one game over 10 PPR points. Hockenson isn’t commanding targets or generating chunk gains. His role in the red zone is also modest at best. Hockenson will fall into the TE2 ranks when he returns to face the Eagles after Minnesota’s upcoming bye week.

Hockenson caught his first touchdown of the year last week but is still looking for his first game with more than five catches of 50 yards. He earned a measly 12 percent target share this week. The return of Jordan Addison is also going to make targets even harder to come by in Minnesota. Hockenson is dangerously close to falling out of the TE1 ranks heading into Week 5.

Sitting on four catches for 27 scoreless yards coming into the afternoon, it was a much-needed better outing for the veteran tight end. Frankly, he was lucky to score, with his touchdown coming with the Vikes already up 41-3 late in the third quarter. Hock cleaned out the middle of the field to get himself all alone in the end zone. His six targets were particularly encouraging with Carson Wentz attempting only 20 passes. With a more functional passing game with Wentz filling in for J.J. McCarthy, fantasy managers can feel more comfortable with Hockenson as a mid-range TE1 for Week 4 against the Steelers.