Gunnar Helm · T.J. Hockenson · 2026 week 8

Gunnar Helm or T.J. Hockenson?

Wondering who you should start this week — Gunnar Helm or T.J. Hockenson? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start T.J. HockensonT.J. Hockenson projects 5.6 PPR points clear of Gunnar Helm in week 8, drawing DET — the 1st-ranked matchup for TEs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Gunnar Helm	@ CIN	5.6	14th	4.1	–	healthy
T.J. Hockenson START	@ DET	11.2	1st · soft	13.4	574	healthy

TEs vs CIN recently: Brenton Strange 9.5 pts (W4) · Greg Dulcich 5.7 pts (W5) · Josh Cuevas 3.5 pts (W7).

TEs vs DET recently: Darren Waller 3.6 pts (W4) · Teagan Quitoriano 13.5 pts (W5) · Tucker Kraft 10.8 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

T.J. Hockenson projects 5.6 points higher in PPR.
Gunnar Helm faces CIN, 14th most generous to TEs.
T.J. Hockenson faces DET, 1st most generous to TEs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

T.J. Hockenson carries the higher trade value — 574 against 0. In a one-for-one, the side receiving T.J. Hockenson gets the most.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

Gunnar Helm or Oronde Gadsden?Gunnar Helm or Eli Raridon?Gunnar Helm or Evan Engram?T.J. Hockenson or Harold Fannin Jr.?T.J. Hockenson or Dallas Goedert?T.J. Hockenson or Hunter Henry?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.