Hockenson played the final 10 games of the 2024 season, returning from a torn ACL suffered at the end of 2023, but he never quite regained his pre-injury form, finishing with 455 receiving yards and no touchdowns. He caught 95 of 127 targets for 960 yards and five TDs in 2023, ranking second among TEs in targets and catches, as well as fourth in yards. A normal offseason without rehabbing from major surgery should help Hockenson regain explosiveness for his age-28 campaign ahead, but he'll have to jostle for targets with the standout WR duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in an offense quarterbacked by an unknown quantity, 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. While Hockenson was a fantasy starter for years in Detroit even with poor QB play, it wasn't until playing with Kirk Cousins that he became a high-end TE1 rather than a mid-range option. A return to the first tier of tight ends, or at least to the second tier, will depend on Hockenson regaining his pre-injury athleticism and McCarthy being an adequate starting QB.
