Fant
TE · NO vs ATL
QuestionableProj pts
6.9pts
market
Hockenson
TE · MIN vs MIA
Proj pts
6.9pts
opportunity
Noah Fant or T.J. Hockenson: who should I start in Week 4?
Toss-up: lean Noah Fant over T.J. Hockenson; the two are level at 6.9. Noah Fant leads at 6.9. T.J. Hockenson is the first one out, 0.0 short.
Crowd: 35% of managers started Fant, 32% started Hockenson.
Fant and Hockenson are effectively tied on projection — Fant gets the start on the tie-break.
Availability & news
Noah FantQuestionable
Fant was limited in practice Thursday due to an abdominal injury.(rotowire, Oct 1, 2026)
Highlights
Pros
- Spike upside14.8 ceiling
Cons
- Low TE usage9% target share
- Thin volume3.2 targets/g
Pros
- Favorable matchupFavorable · A vs TE
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 29 Sep, 6:00 AM ET
The widest gap between them, in proportion, is red zone targets: Fant 4, Hockenson 11.
Fant (Questionable): “Fant was limited in practice Thursday due to an abdominal injury.” — RotoWire, Oct 1, 2026.
Latest game on the card: Hockenson 3.1 (PPR points).
Why Noah Fant
Start Noah Fant — projects 6.9, a tough matchup vs ATL, with a rising role.
Noah Fant projects 6.9 points on a 1.6–14.8 range. The matchup grades as tough against ATL. Usage: targets / game at 3.2. Net: start Noah Fant this week.
Working for Fant: Spike upside (14.8 ceiling).
Working against Fant: Low TE usage (9% target share), Thin volume (3.2 targets/g).
Where Fant leads the head-to-head: Ceiling (14.8 vs 11.4); Implied team total (25.8 vs 24.5); Last 3 avg (10.9 vs 7.5); Last 5 avg (10.9 vs 6.9); vs season (+6.2 vs -0.2); Boom rate (27% vs 13%); Touchdown dependence (24% vs 16%).
Why T.J. Hockenson
Sit T.J. Hockenson — projects 6.9, a favorable matchup vs MIA.
T.J. Hockenson projects 6.9 points on a 5.1–11.4 range. The matchup grades as favorable against MIA. Usage: targets / game at 4.4. Net: bench T.J. Hockenson this week.
Working for Hockenson: Favorable matchup (Favorable · A vs TE).
Where Hockenson leads the head-to-head: Floor (5.1 vs 1.6); Target share (16% vs 9%); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (A vs D-); Consistency (48% vs 40%); Bust rate (20% vs 27%); Targets / game (4.4 vs 3.2); Snap share (78% vs 40%); Red zone targets (11 vs 4).
Recent form
Noah Fant's last 3 games: PPR points 0, 13.3, 19.3 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).
T.J. Hockenson's last 5 games: PPR points 10.6, 1.2, 13.6, 5.9, 3.1 (oldest to newest).
Fant has already beaten Hockenson's 6.9 projection in 2 of his 3; Hockenson has beaten Fant's 6.9 in 2 of his 5.
At least 1 of these 5 games was played before the 2026 season.
Matchup
Noah Fant (NO) faces ATL, kickoff Mon, Oct 5, 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 25.8, spread -3.0.
T.J. Hockenson (MIN) faces MIA, kickoff Sun, Oct 4, 4:05 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 24.5, spread -10.5.
What flips it
Fant and Hockenson are level on projection (6.9). Hockenson's ceiling (11.4) clears Fant's projection, so a big game from Hockenson flips it. Fant's floor (1.6) sits under Hockenson's projection, so a quiet game from Fant flips it too. Confidence in the call: lower.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.
This week's toughest calls
- Colston Loveland or Hunter Henry11.3 · 11.2
- Juwan Johnson or Tucker Kraft12.3 · 12.2
- AJ Barner or Hunter Henry11.2 · 11.2
- Isaiah Likely or Tucker Kraft12.2 · 12.2
- Brenton Strange or Colston Loveland11.4 · 11.3
- AJ Barner or Colston Loveland11.2 · 11.3
- More TE start/sit calls (tight ends this week)