The Minnesota Vikings have a wealth of weapons throughout their offense in 2025. But with a new quarterback and so much of the offense running through Justin Jefferson, some fantasy football experts wonder if other high-profile Vikings can live up to their lofty draft statuses.

Bleacher Report looked across the league for fantasy winners, sleepers, and busts this year. Unfortunately, T.J. Hockenson was listed as a “bust”. Ryan Weisse of Footballguys gave a lengthy description, voicing his concerns.

He posted the lowest catch rate of his career, failed to score a single touchdown, and averaged his fewest fantasy points per game since his rookie year.

“Now he enters 2025, another year removed from injury, but also with a new quarterback, rookie J.J. McCarthy, who has yet to take an NFL snap. Hockenson’s current ADP appears to be driven more by name value and his peak production in 2022 and 2023 than by any genuine optimism about his role in this evolving offense. Even if he’s healthier this year, the uncertainty surrounding McCarthy’s development and the overall offensive efficiency should give drafters pause.

“Minnesota has plenty of mouths to feed, and without reliable red zone work or a proven connection with the quarterback, it’s tough to project a bounce-back.

“In a deep tight end pool, Hockenson is being drafted near his ceiling. Given the risk, he’s more likely to finish outside the Top 10 than return to elite status.”

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It’s fair criticism and a legitimate concern. Even if we believe McCarthy can flourish under Kevin O’Connell, we don’t know what his tendencies will be when throwing downfield. Will he go to Hockenson? Or will Jordan Addison have an even heavier target share?

But although Hockenson didn’t score in his ten regular-season games, he did reach the endzone in the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He scored on a 26-yard catch-and-run, showing he still has the athleticism to attack defenses. He won’t be working his way back into playing form midseason, so hopefully Hockenson will be back to his standard playing shape when Week 1 rolls around.

Does that mean he will live up to his fantasy preseason projections? That remains to be seen. But Hockenson will be one of the more interesting players to watch when the season arrives.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: One Vikings player is seen as a ‘bust’ in fantasy football for 2025