Fantasy football managers are well aware of the tight end struggles these days. It’s a headache for half your league on a normal week, and Week 10 is even worse with Travis Kelce on bye. We are keeping tabs on not only a T.J. Hockenson injury but bumps and bruises to both David Njoku and Austin Hooper, minor injuries that could have a trickle-down impact on the week ahead.
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
With Justin Jefferson out for at least one more week, this Vikings offense is positioned to flow almost exclusively through Hockenson (four straight games with 6+ catches per the Week 10 Cheat Sheet), which has him sitting as my TE1 for the week — assuming health.
Is that an assumption we can make?
It’s clear that Hockenson is functioning at less than 100%, but given his consistent fantasy production and role in this offense, I’m not pivoting off of him until my hand is forced. Fortunately, Minnesota plays in the first set of games on Sunday, something that allows you flexibility when it comes to replacing the All-Pro if need be.
Among the potential options this week if you find yourself in a bind on Sunday morning:
- Cade Otton (TB): 15 catches over his past three games, two TDs in Week 9
- Logan Thomas (WAS): 73.3% catch rate, three games with 8+ targets
- Trey McBride (AZ): 19 targets on 59 routes over the past two weeks
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
A knee injury continues to bother Njoku, though by getting limited work in on Thursday, there’s general optimism surrounding his status for the divisional showdown with the Ravens.
Njoku has seen 23 targets over the past three weeks and has scored in consecutive games after not finding paydirt a single time through seven weeks. Deshaun Watson isn’t the most consistent of quarterbacks, but without a reliable WR2 next to Amari Cooper, Njoku’s role is safe enough to pencil him into starting lineups right now.
Like Hockenson, Njoku plays in the first wave of games on Sunday, giving you time to pivot if need be at the last minute.
Editor’s note: Njoku was upgraded to a full participant on Friday and he will play in Week 10.
Austin Hooper, Las Vegas Raiders
The veteran TE is battling a calf injury, and while Hooper doesn’t hold fantasy value by himself, his taking opportunities away from Michael Mayer does matter. We saw a similar situation in Buffalo this season — Dawson Knox was a drain on Dalton Kincaid’s value until an injury landed him on IR, and now, Kincaid is a set-it-and-forget-it fantasy starter.
That’s unlikely to be the case with Mayer, even if this injury is more serious than it appears, given the lack of consistency in this passing game, but it is certainly worth tracking.
MORE: Week 10 TE Waiver Wire Targets — Top Players To Add Include Cade Otton and Jonnu Smith
Hooper is currently practicing on a limited basis and on the right side of questionable for Sunday. If he were to sit, though, Mayer would move up from TE19 in my rankings to TE16.
The Raiders play on Sunday night, making a minor upgrade like this not worth chasing. Mayer is a find stash for those in deeper leagues, but I’d look elsewhere when it comes to Week 10.
Editor’s note: Hooper was upgraded to a full participant on Friday and he will play in Week 10.
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