Fantasy Football Week 7 Start 'Em And Sit' Em: T.J. Hockenson Vs. Mason Taylor

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor and Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson are ranked within a few spots of each other this week, but which one is the better fantasy football play? Dig into this Week 7 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em article to dig into the stats and matchups that can help us make the right decision.

Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) reacts to the play during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Welcome to this week’s tight end Start ‘Em and Sit’ Em decision! 

In this Week 7 article, we’ll be taking a look at whether fantasy owners should be starting T.J. Hockenson against the Philadelphia Eagles or Mason Taylor against the Carolina Panthers. Hockenson is coming off his reception high (6) on the season last week, while Taylor is coming off a one-reception game. With the two tight ends seemingly moving on different trajectories, does this set up as a no-brainer for Hockeson? 

Shawn Childs has a great Week 7 tight end projections article that dives into the numbers behind this decision (and others!), but let’s go through the decision and see if we can come up with our own thoughts on T.J. Hockenson vs. Mason Taylor this week.

TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Ranked as our TE18 this week, T.J. Hockenson is now TE27 on the season in PPR leagues. While he’s consistently seen four-to-six targets each week, Hockenson’s production has been lackluster as he’s only had one top-20 finish in five weeks. 

Hockenson’s lack of production has partially stemmed from the Vikings’ ineptitude at quarterback as J.J. McCarthy struggled before getting injured, and Carson Wentz is, well, Carson Wentz. Hockenson is also fighting for targets with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, so he’s a clear third in the target pecking order.

The Eagles have also been stingy against tight ends this season, so Hockenson enters a bad matchup this weekend. Philadelphia has allowed the third-least fantasy points to opposing tight ends and have limited the position to just 3.5 receptions and 28 yards per game. Hockenson has yet to top 50 receiving yards in a game all season, and his matchup against the Eagles doesn’t make his potential to top 50 yards this week too promising.  

TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets

Mason Taylor is ranked as our TE 15 this week and is currently TE25 on the season. He’s coming off a horrible Week 6, but it’s worth noting that the Jets only had 84 yards of total offense against the Broncos so it’s hard to knock Taylor too much for that.

He’ll enter this week as the de facto top receiving option for the Jets as Garrett Wilson is due to miss this week (and beyond) with a knee injury. Wilson is averaging over 11 targets per game, so there is a lot of volume open for Taylor to claim. Having averaged over eight targets per game in the three games before last week’s stinker, Taylor is set up to see double-digit targets this week.

Taylor will also face a Panthers defense this week that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, while allowing an average of six-plus receptions and 74 yards per game to the position.

The Verdict

While I would’ve called myself crazy for thinking this just a month ago, Mason Taylor sets up as a better play than T.J. Hockenson right now. He has a much clearer path to targets, has a better matchup this weekend, and frankly, has been playing better than the veteran for the majority of the 2025 season.

I’m locking in Mason Taylor over T.J. Hockenson for Week 7.