Hockenson doubtful for Week 14

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (hand) is listed as doubtful for this weekend’s game vs. the Broncos. He went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday and Friday. He won’t play on Sunday, and his availability for Week 15 and beyond is unclear. Hockenson’s absence leaves Brock Wright as Detroit’s likely lead pass-catching TE, but you should be able to do much better in fantasy lineups.

New Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson led the team with 9 receptions Sunday in his 1st game since the trade. He caught all 9 of his targets (2nd on the team) for 70 yards. Only WR Justin Jefferson drew more looks, catching 7 of 13 for 115 yards and a TD. WR Adam Thielen garnered 7 targets and tallied 3 receptions for 67 yards. QB Kirk Cousins totaled 265 yards on a lackluster 22-of-40 (55%) passing. Minnesota heads to Buffalo next Sunday for 1 of the league's toughest passing matchups.

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson is expected to be a "key part" of the offense against the Commanders today, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hockenson, of course, was just traded to Minnesota on Tuesday. He "worked extra hours to get up to speed on the game plan," per Fowler. "Team plans to get him in there as much as it can, given the time constraints of the week." We'd still be surprised if Hockenson played a full slate of snaps today. But it's certainly possible that he's targeted at a high rate when he's on the field. Consider him a risk/reward Week 9 fantasy play.

The Lions are trading TE T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings, along with a 2023 4th-round pick and a 2024 conditional 4th-round pick, in exchange for a 2023 2nd-round pick and 2024 3rd-round pick, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. It's surprising for a few reasons, most notably because it's an intra-division trade and involves a former 1st-round pick still on his rookie deal. Hockenson counts just $6.5 million against this year's salary cap and has a $9.3 million 5th-year option for 2023. He's been slightly underwhelming through 3+ NFL seasons considering he was the 8th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. But Hockenson's 44.0 receiving yards per game since 2019 rank 10th among TEs. He's averaged a career-best 56.4 yards per game so far this year and ranks 7th among 31 qualifying TEs in Pro Football Focus' 2022 receiving grades. Minnesota is an OK spot for Hockenson's rest-of-season fantasy value. He'll obviously be behind WR Justin Jefferson in the pecking order but could challenge WR Adam Thielen for the #2 spot. And the Vikings have been a pass-leaning offense this year, ranking 7th at 38.0 pass attempts per game. (The Lions rank 15th at 35.7.). Hockenson will face negative fantasy-scoring matchups the next 2 weeks vs. Washington and Buffalo, but the schedule looks nice after that. Detroit, meanwhile, is left with TEs Brock Wright and James Mitchell. Wright is the preferred add but is probably only worth a look in TE-premium leagues like the FFPC. RB D'Andre Swift and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown should pick up more targets with Hockenson gone.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report. He was a full-go in Friday’s practice and should be ready for his usual role on Sunday vs. Miami.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He should be fine for this weekend's plus matchup vs. the Dolphins, but we'll see how Hockenson is listed on tomorrow's final injury report.