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The Detroit Lions offense struggled to get much going offensively, but an injured Matthew Stafford went T.J. Hockenson’s way a decent amount for a team that dealt with plenty of injuries at the skill positions. What should fantasy owners expect from the tight end on Thanksgiving Day? Let’s take a closer look.
Fantasy Football analysis: Lions TE T.J. Hockenson
The Lions were without wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola as well as D’Andre Swift on Sunday in a 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers. With them out, Stafford, who was dealing with a thumb injury himself, looked Hockenson’s way seven times, and he caught four passes for 68 yards to lead the team.
This was the highest yardage total has had all season, so if the Lions continue to struggle to stay healthy at the skill positions, Hockenson should continue to get plenty of looks in this offense.
Hockenson and the Lions are matching up with the Houston Texans on Thursday. In its last time out, Houston allowed New England Patriots tight end Ryan Izzo to catch two of three passes for 59 yards on Sunday.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Hockenson is a tight end No. 1 and could be a top-five play on Thanksgiving no matter who joins him in the starting lineup among pass catchers on the Lions roster.