Latest news with #TJHockenson
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Vikings earn high marks from analyst ranking skill position groups
Part of the belief in J.J. McCarthy's development as a quarterback is that a great skill position core will surround him. The Minnesota Vikings have Justin Jefferson, maybe the best receiver in football, but they have plenty of other options around him. Bill Barnwell of ESPN ranked all 32 groups of skill positions in the league, including wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Receivers were weighted more heavily than running backs and tight ends for this exercise. Injuries and suspensions also impacted the ranking. Advertisement Ultimately, Barnwell ranked the Vikings' group 6th in the league. That's one spot lower than their ranking heading into last season. He cites questions about Jordan Addison's potential suspension and T.J. Hockenson's continued recovery from the ACL injury he suffered in December 2023. The players around [Jefferson] might not be as sturdy as they seemed a year ago. Jordan Addison averaged 1.8 yards per route run in his second season, but there's a distinct possibility the 23-year-old will be suspended for part of the 2025 season after he's tried on DUI charges this month. T.J. Hockenson is healthy after missing part of the 2024 season while recovering from a torn ACL, but the former Lions first-rounder didn't score a touchdown and saw his efficiency retreat to where it had been with Detroit (1.7 YPRR) versus where it stood in Minnesota before the injury in 2023 (2.0). That's the difference between a good tight end and a Pro Bowler, and although that could be variance, I'd like to see that 2023 version of Hockenson again. The addition of Jordan Mason should ease Aaron Jones' workload, Barnwell says. However, he goes on to say that he thinks Jones can be more efficient in 2025 and that Mason needs to prove he wasn't just a product of the Kyle Shanahan system in San Francisco. These are fair criticisms and are the reason the Vikings are sitting outside the top five on this list. It will come down to McCarthy to get everyone involved and have the offense continue to be explosive, regardless of circumstances. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings earn high marks from analyst ranking skill position groups
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Addison's potential suspension impacts Vikings
Kyle Dvorchak discusses the fantasy impacts of a potential three-game suspension for young wide receiver Jordan Addison, sharing how it could impact the Vikings, including teammates Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football: Regression is coming for these 2 TEs — one way or another
In this installment of the touchdown trends series here at 4for4, we'll be taking a look at the tight end position for fantasy football. As always, the data isn't prophetic — and interpreting it isn't a perfect science — but there's merit in the investigation. Once again, similar to the WR article, the strategy is to evaluate touchdown rates (per target) from various field positions and to spotlight the outlier players on both sides of the sample. Here's a look at the data from the last 10 years to set a baseline. TD Rates by TEs. (Photo by With all this math in mind, here are two names to note coming off last season's results and heading into 2025 fantasy drafts. Advertisement T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings 2024 Expected Total TDs - 4.6 2024 Actual Total TDs - 0 Total TDs Below Expectation - 4.6 Hockenson has never been a "Gronkian" tight end, who makes a living in the end zone; his career high for touchdowns in a season is just six (in 2020 and 2022, when he was traded midseason). Still, zero touchdowns on 62 targets in just 10 games ... that's just not right. Among the issues behind Hockenson's 2024 goose egg: he saw just a single end-zone target (and didn't catch it), after averaging seven such targets and more than three TDs per year in that area the prior four seasons. He also saw just eight red-zone targets in total, and (obviously) scored on none of his three receptions. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] It's possible some of the ineffectiveness can be attributed to Hockenson's recovery from the significant knee injury suffered at the end of the 2023 season, which kept him out until Week 9 last year. Year 2 coming off ACL (and MCL in Hockenson's case) injuries tend to be the window where fantasy efficiency returns to normal levels. While the switch to "essentially-rookie" QB J.J. McCarthy does raise some question marks on this Minnesota offense, I'm confident in McCarthy's profile and Kevin O'Connell's coaching. With a fully healthy knee, a proper target share, a functional offense, and a mathematical bump, Hockenson could threaten for his career high in TDs again ... and be a draft value at his current ADP in the 5th-6th rounds. Advertisement Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers 2024 Expected Total TDs - 3.7 2024 Actual Total TDs - 7 Total TDs Above Expectation - 3.3 I'm a pretty established "fader" of Tucker Kraft this season, as I believe the higher-drafted Luke Musgrave returns to threaten his upside, amid a densely overcrowded receiving corps that also includes Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, some amount of Christian Watson and Josh Jacobs. Kraft saw 70 targets last season and scored on a whopping 10% of those targets — nearly double the league average and highest at the position by anyone with 70+ targets. And while it's possible Kraft is just a great player — his 14.1 yards per reception were also elite last year — even great tight ends don't score on 10% of their targets with regularity (excluding Rob Gronkowski, who's several tiers above "great"). [Visit 4for4 for more fantasy football analysis] Target expectations for Kraft in 2025 vary wildly, but John Paulsen's 4for4 projections have him for just 43 catches, which would equate to roughly 60 targets — fewer than he had last season and more or less what I'd expect in this offense. Even if we grant him an above-average touchdown rate — say 7% — that would drop his touchdown total down to four in 2025. Most of this is baked into his current ADP — TE11 — but just keep this in mind when people label him as a "sleeper" or "undervalued." Advertisement This story originally appeared in its full form on
Fox News
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Vikings tight end raves about JJ McCarthy, says quarterback 'has that switch' and 'insane' arm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The biggest question heading into training camp for the Minnesota Vikings revolves around quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the team's first-round pick who didn't get to touch the field during the regular season last year due to a torn meniscus. Head coach Kevin O'Connell and the rest of the organization have been adamant that McCarthy, the Michigan Wolverines product, is their guy moving forward despite other options being on the table. The team's words were backed by not signing a true veteran competitor that could overshadow McCarthy heading into the season, nor drafting a quarterback. After completing mandatory minicamp, McCarthy has been impressing his teammates with what he can do on the field. He was in meeting rooms and on the sidelines all last season, but now he's the guy tight end T.J. Hockenson is already excited for everyone to see what he can do. "That's my dog," Hockenson told Fox News Digital of McCarthy while attending the fifth annual Tight End University (TEU), the three-day summit run by NFL stars Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Greg Olsen. "He is one of the best people I have been around. Just a young guy that's hungry and wants to learn, he wants to get better. I mean, he's making a trip down here soon, and so he wants to be great in this league and I respect that and he is willing to do the things and the hard things it takes to be great." Hockenson truly believes McCarthy has a bright future in front of him, and he said he wants to be there "every step of the way to help him navigate and help him become who he can be" on and off the field. But McCarthy is a year removed from competitive football, begging the question of what will the Vikings get exactly from the quarterback position. Last season, O'Connell found all of Sam Darnold's strengths, as the ex-New York Jets third overall pick had a career season in Minnesota. Perhaps that's exactly what the Vikings are hoping happens with McCarthy as well. Hockenson does believe he possesses what's needed to be great, though. "He's got that switch. He turns that on when he gets on the field," he explained. "You don't really notice that when you're just hanging out and talking with him, but he really wants it. He really wants everything to be perfect, and he's a perfectionist for sure, which is awesome. That is how you need to be as a quarterback in this league." Hockenson also said McCarthy's "arm talent is insane," which was a knock by some evaluators coming out of college. "You know, [the ball] zips on you and he can spin it. It's been a lot of fun to see him in OTAs, and [I] can't wait to get out there with him in camp and throughout the season." In the meantime, Hockenson returned to TEU to continue strengthening his bond with his fellow tight ends across the league. It's easy for Hockenson, who lives just 15 minutes away in the offseason, so he makes it a point to come here, get work in, and learn among his peers who also want to get better. "Coming here and having all the guys, it's good to be around Travis, be around George. I mean, I'm around [Kittle] every day, we're around each other every day. To see some of the guys off the field, and really make the connection, really meet them outside of football it's a lot of fun. So that's what I try to get out of it every year, learning some things on the field, some tidbits, helping guys each year, and then being able to make those connections and build relationships off the field with those guys." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Vikings TE Josh Oliver signs 3-year extension
June 10 - Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver signed a three-year contract extension that spans through the 2028 season. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, however ESPN reported -- citing Athletes First -- that the deal is worth $23.25 million with a maximum value of $27.5 million. It also includes $11.9 million in new guarantees and $19.9 million in total guarantees. Oliver, who is second on the team's tight end pecking order behind Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson, is heading into the final season of a three-year, $21 million contract. Oliver, 28, recorded 22 catches for the second straight year in 2024 and finished with a career-best three touchdowns. He has 70 receptions for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in 67 career games (37 starts) with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and Vikings. --Field Level Media
