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Should I start Jordan Mason, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson for Week 8? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
The Minnesota Vikings have a short week for Week 8, and will take on the Los Angeles Chargers tonight for this week's installment of Thursday Night Football.
Running back Jordan Mason, wide receiver Jordan Addison, and wide receiver T.J. Hockenson are three of the four major fantasy-relevant Vikings players that will be featured in a lot of starting lineups tonight in fantasy football.
The quarterback situation in Minnesota really hasn't been ideal, though -- their starter, J.J. McCarthy (ankle), is injured, and had a shaky start to the season. And his backup, Carson Wentz, has struggled at times. So should you start Mason, Addison, and Hockenson this week?
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
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- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Should I Start Jordan Mason for Fantasy Football?
It looks like the team's other starting running back, Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring), is set to return for tonight's game. It's unclear how much work he'll get, but he'll probably take at least a few rushing attempts from Mason, which isn't a good thing.
It's hard to judge Mason from week-to-week, but considering how bad the Los Angeles Chargers have been against the run, I'd lean toward starting Mason anyway. I'm pretty confident that he'll score at least one touchdown, and he's still a pretty elusive running back.
I actually like Jordan Mason anytime TD tonight...
-Chargers are allowing 5.1 yards per carry, 5th-most in the NFL
-Multiple awful busts in run defense against the Colts last week, leading to 3 JT touchdowns
-Chargers have 10 giveaways on the season, always good for the run game— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) October 23, 2025
Los Angeles has been poor at tackling this year, which plays directly into No. 27's skill set of being a bowling ball in the run game. He's very strong and has great contact balance, and is one of the NFL's biggest starting backs.
Should I Start Jordan Addison for Fantasy Football?
At this point, it would be borderline criminal to put Addison on the bench. He needs to be in starting lineups in all leagues. Despite playing on a team with one of the best WRs in NFL history, Justin Jefferson, Addison has held his own, earning targets at a high rate and being very productive.
In fact, he's remained pretty competitive with "J-Jettas" this season. Last game, Addison got 12 targets to Jefferson, and outproduced his counterpart with nine catches for 128 yards to Jefferson's five catches for 98 yards. Through three starts, "Addy" has 283 yards and one touchdown.
Overshadowed by the loss was a fantastic game from Jordan Addison, which easily could've included a touchdown. He's so good. pic.twitter.com/1ZqWqXAKdF
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 20, 2025
Playing on a team with an elite wideout has overshadowed just how good he's been, and it doesn't seem like Wentz, who will be playing tonight, is holding him back. He's come close to making multiple other big plays, and it seems like he has ridiculous upside any week he catches a touchdown.
With two games over 100 yards, he could absolutely crush his ADP this season.
Should I Start T.J. Hockenson for Fantasy Football?
Hockenson has often been the odd man out in the Vikings passing offense. With both Jefferson and Addison playing at a high level, Hockenson has averaged 6.6 targets and just five catches per game. He doesn't have a single touchdown despite being a premier red zone weapon.
The Vikings have struggled in the red zone, scoring on just over 50 percent of their drives that reach the opponent's 20-yard line. They rank 20th in the league in this category. Perhaps if they targeted Hock more, they'd have more success.
I’m sorry Mike Pereiro, but I THINK I might have a better view of TJ Hockenson’s TD catch. pic.twitter.com/Z5tWj8gzmt
— Owen Siebring (@owensiebring) October 19, 2025
Knowing when to start your TEs is incredibly difficult, because they're tasked with blocking as well as catching the ball, and aren't the first priority in the passing game. But I would throw him in your starting lineups. He has an excellent coverage matchup.
I like starting T.J. Hockenson for TNF. Very positive matchup for him.
Chargers run the 4th highest rate of Cover 3 defensive shells in the NFL
Hock against all coverages vs Cover 3: 0.27 FP/RR ->0.42 FP/RR (55.6% ⬆️)
Jordan Addison has been much less productive vs Cover 3
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) October 23, 2025
The TE position is typically filled with a ton of low-upside players, and Hockenson is the opposite of that.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jordan Mason, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jordan Mason, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jordan Mason, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson compared to others:
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