JoshOliver

Oct 12

The Vikings tight end suffered a concussion early in the game and didn’t return.

Minnesota started this season similar to other recent years, with a two-man tight end rotation with Hockenson as the primary receiving option and Josh Oliver as the main blocker. Oliver landed on injured reserve two weeks ago, leading to Gavin Bartholomew being the second tight end last week. Hockenson received a boost in snaps, making him a borderline fantasy starter. Ben Yurosek returned to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday and was activated Saturday, giving Minnesota three tight ends. It was good fortune for Minnesota that it had Yurosek, because the Vikings needed both tight ends this week. Hockenson played only two snaps. This left Batholomew playing in Hockenson’s usual role, and Yurosek occupying Oliver’s usual role. Bartholomew had a decent game, catching five passes for 33 yards. This would usually make Bartholomew a waiver-wire target in deeper leagues, but Minnesota has its bye week next week. That gives Hockenson two weeks to recover, giving him a good chance of returning as the team's lead receiving tight end for Week 7.

Oct 5

Hockenson played only 67.5% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps over the first two weeks, with much of his playing time coming on third downs and during two-minute drills. Oliver played 62.4% of the snaps, handling many of the early-down snaps in 21 personnel in addition to playing in 12 personnel. Oliver tore his biceps last week and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, leaving 2025 sixth-round pick Gavin Bartholomew as the next man up. Bartholomew didn’t play as a rookie last season and was limited to special teams over the first two weeks before logging four offensive snaps last week. Minnesota surprisingly didn’t add another tight end to the 53-man roster or elevate one from the practice squad, leaving the Vikings as the only team in the league with just two tight ends on their roster. Oliver’s absence led to a significant increase in Hockenson’s playing time. He played 88.1% of the snaps in single-tight end sets on early downs after playing just 32.1% in those situations over the first two weeks. His route participation rate also jumped to 79.1%. Some of Hockenson’s production can be attributed to Justin Jefferson being sidelined, with Hockenson absorbing much of that target volume. Still, his increased playing time should give him better fantasy value over the next few weeks. His route participation should remain high even after Jefferson returns, and he has clearly developed some chemistry with Kyler Murray. Hockenson should be one of the top waiver-wire targets this week outside of players stepping into larger roles because of new injuries.