Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Colston Loveland
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 8.6 | 0.0 |
Austin Hooper News
Monday, March 9, 9:40 AM
Free-agent tight end Austin Hooper is signing a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Hooper was originally drafted by Atlanta in the third round in 2016 out of Stanford. The 31-year-old veteran spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Falcons and was a Pro Bowler with them in 2018 and 2019. He then bounced around with the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots. Hooper hasn't been as productive as he was in his final two seasons in Atlanta, and in his return, he'll be a backup to TE Kyle Pitts Sr. In 16 regular-season games (six starts) for the Patriots last year, Hooper had just 21 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Unless Pitts is traded or injured in 2026, Hooper won't be on the fantasy radar in redraft leagues this fall.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.1 | 45.6 | 0.3 |
Colston Loveland News
Thursday, March 5, 5:43 PM
Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland took a little while to get going in his rookie season in 2025 after the Bears took him 10th overall out of Michigan. In his first six NFL games, Loveland caught 11 of 18 targets for 116 yards and no touchdowns. Everything changed when the 21-year-old had six catches for a season-high 118 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, though. Loveland was on the map in 12-team fantasy football leagues, and he was a much bigger part of Chicago's offense the rest of the way, ultimately finishing with a 58-713-6 line on 82 targets to finish as the No. 12 TE in half-PPR scoring. He caught 12 of 25 targets for 193 yards in the team's two playoff games. Following the trade of receiver DJ Moore on Thursday, Loveland should easily be a top-12 fantasy TE in 2026, and his dynasty stock is looking even brighter after his strong first season in the NFL.
Austin Hooper vs. Colston Loveland
Still trying to decide between Hooper and Loveland? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Austin Hooper is projected to score 2.0 points this week while Colston Loveland is projected to score 11.3 points.
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