The question of whether Detroit Lions TE T.J. Hockenson is playing in Week 3 has been hanging around since he appeared on the injury report on Wednesday. As Hockenson deals with his hip injury, should we expect to see him today, and what does it mean for fantasy football managers?
Update: T.J. Hockenson is active for the Lions in Week 3.
Is T.J. Hockenson playing today?
After Hockenson was limited all week in practice, he was listed as questionable heading into the weekend. However, the general feeling coming out of Detroit was that he should be able to suit up as the Lions took on the Vikings this week.
That feeling was then reinforced on Sunday morning by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who tweeted that Hockenson should be active this week, alongside D’Andre Swift, Frank Ragnow, and Aidan Hutchinson. With Hockenson now expected to play, can fantasy managers rely on him in their Week 3 lineup?
Should fantasy managers start Hockenson in Week 3?
It has been a frustrating season for Hockenson’s fantasy managers. Despite seeing 14 targets through the first two weeks, he has seemed out of sync with Jared Goff. He has just seven receptions for 64 yards and has not found the end zone. In non-PPR leagues, that has equated to just 3.2 fantasy points per week, rising as high as 6.7 fantasy points in PPR.
Therefore, even with Hockenson healthy this week, there are still question marks as to whether he should be started. He has played 90 percent of the Lions’ snaps through the first two weeks and has struggled to produce for fantasy managers.
Therefore, if being limited means he will see less playing time, that is a concern. This might be a week where if you either have rostered or can stream a solid starting option, it might make sense to do so.
Who might benefit from the Lions’ offense if Hockenson is limited?
The Lions’ offense is intriguing in terms of targets. Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the team with 24 targets, Hockenson is second at 14, and then DJ Chark is third with 12. Therefore, we could see Swift picking up a couple of extra targets per game if Hockenson is not able to be that solid option.
The concern is that Chark has caught just four of his 12 targets so far. Had he not caught a touchdown in Week 1, his fantasy returns would be even more disappointing than Hockenson.
The other person who could see more work is Swift. After he was limited last week, he is expected to play a bigger role in Week 1. He already saw five of his eight targets last week, and that number could rise with Hockenson limited. Additionally, we could see more from Josh Reynolds as the third WR option.
The problem with all of this is that with Hockenson’s role uncertain this week, it is tough to judge how much these values rise. We know Swift and St. Brown are starting in almost all formats, but about Chark and Reynolds. Chark is a fringe flex starter in 14-team leagues in this matchup, while Reynolds’ value is restricted to the 18 or 2-team league formats.