Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Chig Okonkwo

Wednesday, November 19, 2:59 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) carved out standalone fantasy value in his role behind Hunter Henry last season, but he has failed to establish himself as a worthwhile fantasy addition during the 2025 campaign. He went from the overall TE24 in PPR leagues last year to TE45 through Week 11 this season. The 31-year-old hasn't registered more than three targets in a single game this season, which is a major step backward after he averaged 3.5 targets per game in 2024. While Henry has cemented himself as the Patriots' top tight end and is one reason for Hooper's underwhelming year, the bigger factor is likely the wide receivers' increased productivity. Players like Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins have elevated this position room higher than in years past, leaving fewer opportunities for a backup tight end like Hooper. An injury has complicated his status even more, as Hooper missed Week 11 in concussion protocol and remains up in the air for Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Even if he plays, he'll remain off the fantasy radar in all leagues. His only path to fantasy relevance would be a Hunter Henry injury.

Thursday, January 29, 5:26 PM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo never really became all that interesting in fantasy football in his fourth year in the NFL in 2025 in a Titans offense that struggled with consistency under rookie quarterback Cameron Ward. Okonkwo played in all 17 games for the fourth straight year and had career-highs in receptions (56), targets (79), and receiving yards (560) while finding the end zone only two times. In addition to the Titans' offense being one of the worst in the league, Okonkwo shared valuable targets with rookie TE Gunnar Helm, who finished his rookie season with 44 catches for 357 yards and two touchdowns on 55 targets. Both of Okonkwo's touchdowns came late in the year, but Helm also saw more involvement in the passing game in the second half of 2025. For fantasy purposes, Okonkwo would be better off going elsewhere in free agency, with Helm likely only becoming more of a factor on offense in Tennessee in 2026.