At the trade deadline in 2022, the Vikings acquired Hockenson from the division-rival Lions. He immediately stepped in as a top contributor in their pass-heavy offense. The team inked him to a four-year, $66 million extension before last season, showing his value to their offensive plans going forward.
Last year, in his first full-season with the Vikings, Hockenson was on pace for another monster campaign before suffering a season-ending knee injury against the Lions on Christmas Eve in Week 16. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL and underwent surgery.
At the start of the Vikings’ 2024 training camp, coach Kevin O’Connell announced that Hockenson will start training camp on the PUP list.
However, he also had good news. Hockenson is “well ahead of schedule” in his recovery. There was also encouraging video of Hockenson arriving at the facility without a noticeable limp.
Even though he is ahead of schedule, it’s hard to know exactly what his timetable to return will be. When he’s on the field, he’s a top producer, but his availability makes him very high risk at this point.
Right now, the star tight end is currently TE14 in DraftKings Best Ball with an ADP of 127.5. He actually could be a great value pick at that point if he’s able to return sooner rather than later.
Prior to his injury last year, Hockenson had hauled in 95 catches for a team-leading 960 yards with five touchdowns. At the time he was second among tight ends in catches and third in yards. For season-long leagues and Best Ball, he’s an attractive way to get a top tight end if you think you can piece together things and build in enough depth onto your roster.
When he does get back on the field, Hockenson will be working with a new QB, as well, with Kirk Cousins now playing for the Falcons. There seems to be a quarterback competition in Minnesota between rookie J.J. McCarthy and Sam Darnold, but either one of them could make Hockenson a strong option when he returns.
On the DraftKings Sportsbook, the Vikings are a long shot at +300 to make the playoffs and are +1000 to win the NFC North. Their win total is set at 6.5 with the over at -160 odds.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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