Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Adam Shaheen

Saturday, September 20, 2:49 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper has seen increased usage within the team's offense, but it's not enough to justify starting him in fantasy football against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Hooper's snap share jumped from 32 percent in Week 1 to 62 percent in Week 2, and his pass-catching volume increased, too. The 30-year-old caught all three of his targets for 38 yards last week, out-producing Hunter Henry despite playing fewer snaps than him. Hooper remains the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart behind Henry, but he's still seeing decent playing time, especially in two-tight end sets. This week, Hooper is facing a mid-range Steelers defense that has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to tight ends. Hooper ranks as RotoBaller's TE41 this week, and he can be benched in most leagues.

Monday, October 30, 11:24 PM

While dealing with injuries at the position, the Buffalo Bills worked out former Chicago Bears tight end Adam Shaheen on Monday. Dawson Knox (wrist) is currently on Injured Reserve and will miss at least three more games. Shaheen was with the Miami Dolphins last year, but he didn't play at all due to a knee injury that landed him on Injured Reserve. The 29-year-old former second-round pick by the Chicago Bears hasn't played in an NFL since 2021, when he had 12 receptions on 16 targets for 110 yards and no touchdowns in 12 games (seven starts). Shaheen will remain well off the fantasy radar, even if he's signed by Buffalo. Rookie Dalton Kincaid had a big game in last Thursday night's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will have TE1 upside moving forward with Knox on the shelf.