Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Cade Stover

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, September 8, 2:53 PM

Houston Texans second-year tight end Cade Stover (foot) broke his foot in Sunday's game against the Rams and will be out indefinitely. On a day where the Texans' passing attack found limited success, Stover led the team with four catches, which he turned into 22 yards. After a quiet rookie season, it's unlikely Stover was rostered in many leagues, and that will unfortunately remain the case after one of the best games of his young career. With Christian Kirk (hamstring) still sidelined, the Texans are in desperate need of secondary options in the passing game to take some of the defensive attention away from Nico Collins. The best bet will be second-round rookie receiver Jayden Higgins, who will look to top his two-catch debut; however, behind a struggling offensive line, the Texans' offense as a whole could continue to look sluggish, making Collins the only reliable weekly starter.