Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Courtland Sutton

Wednesday, March 13, 12:18 AM

Las Vegas Raiders free-agent tight end Austin Hooper is expected to sign a one-year deal worth up to $4.25 million with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The veteran tight end will reunite with new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was with Hooper with the Cleveland Browns. Hooper made the Pro Bowl two straight years from 2018-19 while with the Atlanta Falcons, but he hasn't been nearly as involved as he was then in the last four seasons with the Browns, Titans and Raiders. In 17 games (nine starts) last year in Vegas, the 29-year-old caught just 25 of 31 targets for 234 yards and no touchdowns. With both Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown now gone, Hooper figures to serve as New England's No. 2 TE behind Hunter Henry in 2024. Unless Henry gets hurt, Hooper is unlikely to have a significant enough role to warrant fantasy consideration in standard-sized leagues.

Tuesday, April 16, 2:01 PM

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton did not report on Monday for the start of voluntary offseason workouts as he seeks a new contract, according to a source. Sutton is going on his 10th starting quarterback in seven seasons in Denver and has only $2 million guaranteed left on his current deal. He had 10 touchdowns in 2023 while ranking 56th in the league in targets (90). The former second-round pick in 2018 out of SMU also had 59 receptions for 772 yards last year, but now that Russell Wilson is in Pittsburgh and the Broncos currently have Jarrett Stidham as their starter under center, Sutton is due for some big regression (mainly in the TD department) in 2024 if he sticks around in Denver. Even with Jerry Jeudy also gone, the 28-year-old Sutton could struggle to come close to another 1,000-yard season with more questions at QB.