Over the next 40 days (May 1st to June 10th), I will break down 40 of the NFL’s “Sophomores”. By sophomores, I mean players in their second year of the NFL. The 2019 Draft class was quite special and has shown some early promise. I want to reflect on each player’s rookie year, take a look forward, and finally evaluate their dynasty and redraft value going into the 2020 NFL Season. I hope you enjoy this 40-day adventure as I dive into the emerging stars the NFL has to offer. Next on the list is T.J. Hockenson. Below you will find every player I have covered to this date.

Sophomore SZN : Kyler Murray / Daniel Jones / T.J. Hockenson / Dwayne Haskins / Noah Fant / Josh Jacobs / Marquise Brown / N’Keal Harry

Rookie Season

The Lions selected Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson with the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite having many other holes to fill, the Lions wanted to replace their broken experiment in Eric Ebron with Hockenson. To use their draft capital to select a TE that early led everyone to believe that Hockenson would be in for a big 2019 campaign. Hockenson only produced one fantasy-relevant game, which was Week 1. To start off the 2019 season, Hockenson had 6 catches for 131 yards and a TD. However, most people didn’t start Hockenson that week because no one starts rookie TE before first seeing them play.

Hockenson dealt with an array of injuries in 2019. Early in the season, he suffered a concussion which kept him the league’s concussion protocol over their bye week. T.J. also dealt with a shoulder injury, which he sustained while trying to hurdle over Tyrann Mathieu. Hockenson came down hard on his head and shoulder but luckily was able to walk off under his own power. Hockenson suffered from the injury bug again during a Week 13 loss to the Bears. This caused him to leave the facility with crutches, and fans wonder if his rookie season was over. Hock landed on the IR to end his 2019 season.

Looking Forward

One thing is for sure, Hockenson will need to stay healthy to make an impact in 2020. Matthew Stafford also missed the latter half of the 2019 season, so it wasn’t like Hockenson missed out on any chemistry building with him. Lions had big plans for Hock but they were never able to put them in place due to many injuries to their offensive crew. The Lions played almost half the 2019 season with the QB carousel of Jeff Driskel and David Blough. Yuck, it is hard to say that Hock would have done well in this situation.

Kenny Golladay took the next step in his game in 2019. He emerged as an every-down threat as he was a big target for his young QB. With Stafford back and healthy in 2020, he will look to spread the ball around. The Lions drafted Jeffrey Okudah to be their star corner, but they still lack a stout defense. If the Lions want to compete in the NFC, they will have to call upon their offense to win games. Stafford had the Lions off to a hot start in 2019 before all the injuries started to pile up. Hockenson will continue to pave his role in this offense, and Stafford will look to get Hock more involved.

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Dynasty Value

Despite being riddled with injuries in 2019, Hockenson still cracked my Top 10 Dynasty TE. This has to do with his draft capital and the stardom of George Kittle. Iowa TE’s have made a name for themselves in the NFL, most recently with Kittle. To take a TE with the 8th overall pick is a big investment. Stafford will be swayed to use Hock more in 2020. Matt Patricia brought in Hock to be the Gronk in his offense. If things start going in the right direction, Hock will be a great dynasty TE to own.Plus, I can see Marvin Jones leaving after this season, which will open up more targets for Hock.

Redraft Value

Hockenson will continue to make a name for himself in the 2020 season. I don’t know if he will turn it on right away, so I wouldn’t look to spend any pick before the 12th round on him. The landscape of TE is getting much deeper. There are two approaches to TE in fantasy 1) Pay a premium for Kelce/Kittle/Andrews or 2) Go late TE and stream them throughout the season. Last season, I took Mark Andrews with the last pick in my fantasy drafts, and it worked out well. Be cautious about spending up for Hock. I would like to see him have a good week or two before I commit to him in redraft leagues. My current projection for him is 62 catches for 645 receiving  yards and 7 TD.  

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