News broke on Tuesday that the Detroit Lions agreed to a trade sending tight end TJ Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for draft picks. The Lions reportedly also received a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick. The Vikings are acquiring a 2023 fourth-round selection and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick along with Hockenson, per ESPN.

Trade within a division is rare, even more so when a player of this caliber is involved. According to Pro Football Reference, Hockenson, the former eighth overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft, has posted 26 receptions for 395 yards receiving and three touchdowns thus far in the 2022 season. The former Pro Bowler leaves behind a Lions team in disarray, now sitting at 1-6 on the year.

The fantasy fallout from the deal is fascinating on both sides of this trade. On the Vikings' side, Hockenson immediately impacts an offense that had gotten sparse returns from incumbent tight end Irv Smith Jr. this season, a player we now know is hurt. While it will remain to be seen what type of target share Hockenson can secure in an offense that already supports a superstar wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, it stands to reason that head coach Kevin O'Connell and company have plans up their sleeve. Hockenson can certainly handle a sizeable workload, too, as evidenced by the 18.1% target share (tenth among all tight ends) and 16.5% air yards share he occupied in the Lions offense this year, per 4for4.

While it is unlikely Hockenson's fantasy value changes much, considering he is already the TE4 overall in point-per-reception scoring (PPR) this year, it does boost quarterback Kirk Cousins as he now has another stud in the offense to target. The value(s) of Justin Jefferson, wide receiver Adam Thielen, and running back Dalvin Cook are also likely unaffected.

On the Lions' side of things, this void that Hockenson leaves behind is potentially intriguing for running back D'Andre Swift in addition to wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and (eventually) rookie Jameson Williams. Though Hockenson doesn't leave behind a ton of vacated targets (6.1), that's wealth that can be spread around an offense that throws the ball at the fourth-highest rate in the league, per ESPN. In addition, whenever Jameson Williams returns from the ACL injury he sustained in college last year, he seems like a probable candidate to become a fixture in the Lions' aerial attack by year's end. While fantasy managers await his debut, Williams is worthy of a stash on the bench.