T.J. Hockenson's Updated Fantasy Stock After Trade to Vikings from Lions

The Detroit Lions traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, a surprising in-division trade.

So for fantasy players, the obvious question is whether Hockenson's fantasy value will see a boost in Minnesota?

For starters, there won't be any questions about Hockenson's fit next to Irv Smith Jr., as he is set to be sidelined for potentially the remainder of the regular season.

But looking at Smith's fit in Minnesota's offense could offer more insight into the type of role Hockenson will play.

Smith is currently third on the Vikings in targets, at 33, well behind Justin Jefferson (71) and Adam Thielen (50) and narrowly edging out K.J. Osborn (31). Smith turned those looks into 22 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns for a solid if unspectacular 7.3 points per game in PPR formats.

Hockenson is the better player, turning 43 targets into 26 catches for 395 yards and three scores for an average of 12.2 points per week. The Lions, however, often find themselves chasing big deficits and are throwing the ball around late in games. There are plenty of garbage-time points up for grabs, in other words.

The Vikings, on the other hand, are 6-1. Hockenson finds himself on a better overall offense, with an upgrade at quarterback, and the hope will be that his red-zone targets increase. Those garbage-time points may go away, however.

Still, Hockenson is a talented player on a dangerous offense. It's fair to question whether he'll see a serious uptick in his production, but he's a no-brainer TE1 regardless. Start him without concern. Just don't be shocked if his Minnesota numbers look fairly similar to his Detroit numbers.