Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Cole Kmet

Sunday, December 15, 9:47 PM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper caught all three of his targets for 38 yards during Sunday's Week 15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The 30-year-old has emerged as a key contributor within the Patriots' offense, averaging 3.6 catches, 47.6 receiving yards, and 0.4 touchdowns per game over his last five contests. Even in his role as the No. 2 tight end behind Hunter Henry, Hooper has started to generate some fantasy buzz, ranking as a fringe top-24 option at the position heading into Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills.

Tuesday, December 17, 12:25 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet once again was an afterthought in the team's lackluster offense in the Monday night loss to the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, catching his only target for a pickup of 14 yards. Kmet was on the field plenty -- he played 93 percent of the offensive snaps on the evening -- but rookie quarterback Caleb Williams continued to rely mostly on his three receivers in Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and rookie Rome Odunze. In the last three games, Kmet has just four receptions on four targets (he didn't have a target in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers) for 40 yards and no touchdowns. He hasn't scored a touchdown since a two-TD performance in Week 6 and has 16 receptions for 159 yards and no TDs in six games since the team's bye. Fantasy managers still alive in the playoffs should look for a better TE option in Week 16 when Chicago faces the division-rival Detroit Lions.