Will T.J. Hockenson be a top Tight End in 2019?

Will T.J. Hockenson be a top Tight End in 2019?

With the NFL regular season just days away, everyone is looking for some last-minute fantasy football advice. Every year, fantasy managers are always looking for the next big player to have on their roster. The guy who will be the big surprise or sensation of the regular season. T.J. Hockenson has the potential to be that guy in the NFL this year.

During his collegiate playing days, Hockenson just played two seasons at Iowa in 2017 and 2018 where he accumulated 70 catches for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2018 alone, he led the Hawkeyes in receptions (46) and receiving yards (717) while being second behind fellow position-mate Noah Fant in touchdowns scored (6).

There was a lot of hype swirling around both Hockenson and Fant as they were two of the most highly-rated tight ends entering the 2019 draft. Much speculation was circulating as to which tight end would be selected first in the draft and in what round as well.

As it turned out, Hockenson went first as he was selected by the Detroit Lions as the eighth overall pick of the draft. Fant went later in the first round as the 20th overall pick to the Denver Broncos.

Hockenson has finally found his first home in the NFL. It’s going to be in the Motor City of Detroit Michigan where he will have quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing him passes down the field for 2019.

Some may be wary about Hockenson, considering the Lions haven’t had a productive tight end from a fantasy standpoint in quite some time.

The good news is, Hockenson can act as much more than a blocker and be a productive member of the Detroit receiving game this year.

Let’s face it. The Lions don’t have any true big threat wide receivers to speak of at the moment. Of course, Kenny Golladay does have the potential to break out as such this year, but there’s not much else after that on the Lions’ depth chart.

Marvin Jones is there, but he’s been dealing with a nagging knee injury all offseason long so there’s no telling how much of an impact he will have as a whole in the 2019 season. Hence, why Hockenson would be a great candidate to make some legitimate noise this year.

A lot of Hockenson’s production will be heavily dependent on Matthew Stafford’s play and ability to successfully give him opportunities to tally up receptions.

In 2018, Stafford ranked eleventh in passing attempts (34.7/gm) and red zone attempts (4.5/gm). Also, last year was the first time since 2010 where Stafford threw for under 4,000 yards in a single season.

Stafford’s level of play was definitely not up to par, which may draw a red flag for those interested in selecting Hockenson for their rosters. Rest assured, he was dealing with a back injury for the majority of the 2018 season. Furthermore, Stafford also had the seventh-worst supporting cast of players surrounding him as well, which also played a major role in his struggles last year.

Now that he appears to be healthy and with an upgrade in new talent like Hockenson, Stafford may have a solid weapon to go to in big-time situations this year. This, in turn, helps Hockenson’s fantasy value significantly. Stafford has been known for his cannon of an arm, and he hasn’t had under 550 passing attempts since his rookie season in 2009.

Most tight ends do not get a ton of volume in passes thrown towards them by their quarterbacks, but Hockenson could very well be one of those rare exceptions once he hits the ground running.

At six-foot-five and 247lbs, Hockenson is every offensive coordinator’s dream of a scoring tight end. His size will make him a scary red zone threat for defenses to deal with every time the Lions get near the goal-line. He can use his huge body-frame to box out defenders and snatch the ball right out of the air.

For the time being, Hockenson is being selected as TE13 during the middle part of the eleventh round in most drafts right now. This is not a bad spot to take a tight end with the potential to significantly outplay his current ADP rank.

I advise making an effort to pick another tight end prior to Hockenson, in the event that something does not pan out. Although I find that to be unlikely, considering his current situation and where he was drafted in April, we all know how unpredictable the NFL universe can be and the impact it has on fantasy.

Hockenson wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up as your second tight end since he has yet to prove his worth at the professional level. If he looks like the real deal as I suspect he will, then you can put him in over your starting tight end if they are under-performing, or better yet, you can plug him in to be your flex.

T.J. Hockenson is worth the gamble considering the type of system he is in, his size, and where he was drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft back in April. His stats in college are the telltale signs of what he can do on the field. As long as this talent can successfully translate to the field in the NFL, Hockenson could be another big tight end everyone will be clamoring to try to pick in fantasy drafts for years to come.

Best of luck to everyone and their drafts if they have not done so already and stay tuned to FanSided Fantasy each and every day for all the latest fantasy news and analysis!