Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Cole Kmet

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.

Tuesday, September 23, 9:19 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet was targeted just once in his team's Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he made it count with a 10-yard touchdown grab. Kmet now has four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown on seven targets through the first three games of 2025. Perhaps most importantly for Kmet's fantasy outlook, Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland (hip) suffered a hip injury in Week 3. Loveland's injury is not considered serious, and he reportedly has a chance to play in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Still, Kmet could be a low-end streaming option in deep leagues in Week 4 if Loveland is sidelined.