Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Colston Loveland

Sunday, March 9, 8:57 PM

The New England Patriots are re-signing veteran tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $5 million deal with a max value of $7 million. Hooper, a two-time Pro Bowler, notched 45 receptions and 476 yards with New England a season ago, his highest marks since his 2021 stint with the Cleveland Browns. While he began the 2024 season cold, the 30-year-old picked it up over the back half -- racking up four catches in five of his last seven appearances as then-rookie signal-caller Drake Maye got acclimated to the NFL. The Stanford product played second fiddle to fellow tight end Hunter Henry last season and figures to do so again if his teammate stays healthy, as the latter out-paced the former handily in snaps (835-575) despite playing in one fewer contest. It's possible Hooper returns some TE2 value this upcoming season, but he's better off left to waivers until he proves otherwise.

Friday, June 13, 5:42 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (shoulder) is currently banged up, but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. The Bears are expecting big things from Loveland this upcoming season. The organization selected Loveland with their first-round pick in this year's draft. Loveland is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but he should be ready to go soon. Scott Blair of Marquee Sports Network, believes Loveland is going to be the primary tight end in this offense. He mentions that Cole Kmet should remain involved, but Loveland is likely to be the primary receiving threat. The Bears do have a handful of weapons on offense, but they wouldn't have drafted Loveland in the first round if they didn't plan to use him. Loveland is currently projected as the second tight end off the board in dynasty formats behind Tyler Warren. There should be Day 1 value from Loveland despite Kmet still being in the mix.