Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Colston Loveland

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.

Sunday, September 28, 3:21 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (hip) is officially inactive for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The rookie had been listed as questionable. He missed two practices before being able to log a limited session Friday, but it evidently wasn't quite enough for him to play this week. Loveland has operated in a depth role this season, catching just three of his six targets through three games. On the other hand, Cole Kmet has played at least 90 percent of the snaps in all three contests so far, so he remains an interesting fantasy option whose value will only increase with Loveland sidelined. Kmet should be viewed as a mid-range TE2 for the duration of Loveland's absence.