T.J. Hockenson's 2024 fantasy football outlook: Should you draft the Vikings TE?

Hockenson is recovering from a knee injury, but he could help your team if you're willing to be patient.

Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) celebrates his touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is a worthwhile late-round pick in fantasy football drafts this year because of what he could provide to your team down the stretch of the season.

Hockenson took a violent hit to the knee in a Week 16 game against the Lions last year, which resulted in a torn ACL and MCL. He had surgery to repair the ACL in late January and is still recovering. On Tuesday, it was announced that Hockenson will begin the year on the Reserve/PUP list, which knocks him out for at least the first four games of the regular season. A realistic potential return date could be in Week 7 against Detroit (the Vikings have a bye in Week 6).

Had Hockenson not missed the final two games of last season, he would've finished as the TE2 in fantasy football behind Sam LaPorta. He had 95 catches for 960 yards and 5 touchdowns in 15 games, reaching 50 yards in all but two of those games. The former top-ten draft pick has thrived in Kevin O'Connell's offense since coming over from the Lions in a midseason trade in 2022.

This year, because of the injury and the Vikings' quarterback downgrade (Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold), Hockenson's ADP is 125th overall and the TE14 in half-PPR, according to FantasyPros data. That means you can usually get him in the 11th round in 12-team leagues.

To me, picking him up around there makes a lot of sense, particularly if you wait a while to take a tight end in your draft. If your league has an IR spot, you can stash Hockenson there for the first month and change of the season while you wait for him to get back on the field. Once he's healthy, he'll have plenty of upside as one of Darnold's top targets.

The strategy of waiting to take a TE like David Njoku or Dallas Goedert and then adding Hockenson a couple rounds later could be a good one in fantasy football this year.

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