T.J. Hockenson vs Tucker Kraft: Who Should You Start?
Tucker Kraft and T.J. Hockenson are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Green Bay Packers tight end averaged 12.6 PPG in 2025, a full 6.8 points per game ahead of T.J. Hockenson's 5.8 with the Minnesota Vikings. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
Tucker Kraft carries a 6.8-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
T.J. Hockenson is the volume tight end in this matchup with 51 receptions for 438 yards, while Tucker Kraft profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (6 scores on 32 catches). In weeks where Tucker Kraft finds the end zone he out-scores T.J. Hockenson, but the floor gap is real.
T.J. Hockenson has his bye in Week 6, and Tucker Kraft rests in Week 10. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at tight end for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
