The Minnesota Vikings will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE T.J. Hockenson.
Is T.J. Hockenson Playing in Week 8?
Updated at 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 24
We’ll have to wait another week for T.J. Hockenson as he has been ruled inactive for Week 8’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
T.J. Hockenson’s 2024 debut appears to finally be imminent. After tearing his ACL on Christmas Eve last season, Hockenson was a limited practice participant every day last week. He was not activated for the Week 7 game vs. the Detroit Lions, but The Athletic’s Alec Lewis suggests there’s a “50-50” chance he returns Thursday night against the Rams.
Hockenson is officially questionable for Week 8. Notably, he was limited in practice every day this week and has not managed a full session since being designated to return from IR.
The advantage of returning for the Rams game is that Hockenson would have a longer layoff to his second game. However, the Vikings only need to activate him by Week 9 vs. the Colts to ensure that he can play again this season.
We’ll continue to monitor the Vikings’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit T.J. Hockenson in Week 8?
Hockenson is nearing his return from the devastating knee injury that ended his 2023 season. Once he is back for the Vikings, he is back for you. Sam Darnold is completing 74.3% of his short passes this season with a 106.4 passer rating on those looks. Hock should walk into the secondary role in this passing game and be as good a bet for 5-7 targets as anyone at the position.
I expect there to be some slow weeks in the beginning, but 75% of Hockenson in an offense that is far better than we assumed when we were drafting this summer is better than the vast majority of tight ends in the sport.
The tight end position isn’t one to be cute with — you play the options with elite upside and Hockenson is certainly on that list.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
T.J. Hockenson’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Chandler is projected to score 10.7 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 15.1 rushing attempts for 58.1 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. It also includes 2.2 receptions for 16.3 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
T.J. Hockenson’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship TE PPR Rankings
1) Travis Kelce | KC (vs. BUF)
2) Dallas Goedert | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at KC)
4) Zach Ertz | WAS (at PHI)
5) Noah Gray | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Dawson Knox | BUF (at KC)
7) John Bates | WAS (at PHI)
8) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. WAS)
9) Ben Sinnott | WAS (at PHI)
10) Quintin Morris | BUF (at KC)
11) Peyton Hendershot | KC (vs. BUF)
12) E.J. Jenkins | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Anthony Firkser | NYJ ()
