Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Dallas Goedert

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.

Friday, October 10, 12:20 AM

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert caught nine of his 11 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown -- all team highs -- during Thursday night's loss to the New York Giants in Week 6. While the Eagles came up short, Goedert had his best game of the season. In fact, he has quietly emerged as one of the top tight ends in fantasy football, scoring double-digit points (PPR) in all five of his games. He has four consecutive games with a touchdown, finding the end zone a total of five times during that span. As players like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith continue to deal with inconsistent roles, Goedert has emerged as one of Jalen Hurts' favorite targets. He's a solid mid-range TE1 option heading into Week 7 against Minnesota.