Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Colston Loveland

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.

Monday, January 19, 12:02 PM

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said that rookie tight end Colston Loveland (concussion) suffered a concussion in Sunday's Divisional Round overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, according to Nicholas Moreano of Watch Marquee Sports. Loveland left the game after making an 18-yard reception in the fourth quarter, and he never returned. The 21-year-old finished the game with four catches on a team-high 10 targets for a team-leading 56 yards in the 20-17 defeat. Loveland got off to a slow start in his first NFL season, but he finished as one of the team's top targets. In 16 regular-season games, he hauled in 58 of his 82 targets for 713 yards and six touchdowns to finish as the TE12 in half-PPR points. Loveland added 12 catches for 193 yards in Chicago's two playoff games, and he'll be firmly in TE1 territory in fantasy drafts this fall.