Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Andy Isabella

Wednesday, March 13, 12:18 AM

Las Vegas Raiders free-agent tight end Austin Hooper is expected to sign a one-year deal worth up to $4.25 million with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The veteran tight end will reunite with new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was with Hooper with the Cleveland Browns. Hooper made the Pro Bowl two straight years from 2018-19 while with the Atlanta Falcons, but he hasn't been nearly as involved as he was then in the last four seasons with the Browns, Titans and Raiders. In 17 games (nine starts) last year in Vegas, the 29-year-old caught just 25 of 31 targets for 234 yards and no touchdowns. With both Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown now gone, Hooper figures to serve as New England's No. 2 TE behind Hunter Henry in 2024. Unless Henry gets hurt, Hooper is unlikely to have a significant enough role to warrant fantasy consideration in standard-sized leagues.

Wednesday, August 30, 5:33 PM

The Buffalo Bills re-signed wide receiver Andy Isabella to their practice squad on Wednesday, according to a league source. Isabella was cut on Tuesday with the team getting their roster down to 53 players, but he will return the very next day to serve as extra receiver depth in Buffalo for the start of the 2023 regular season. The former second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 out of Massachusetts spent time with both the Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens last year, catching only two passes for 21 yards in five games (zero starts). In his four NFL seasons, Isabella has 33 receptions on 54 targets for 447 yards and three touchdowns in 41 games (three starts).