Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Dalton Kincaid

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.

Tuesday, October 14, 5:35 PM

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Tuesday that tight end Dalton Kincaid (oblique), who did not play in the Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, is "day-to-day," according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. Additionally, veteran wide receiver Curtis Samuel (neck, ribs) is also considered day-to-day. Kincaid's injury isn't very serious, which is great news, especially with the Bills on their bye in Week 7. It means that both Kincaid and Samuel should be ready to go when the team returns to action in Week 8 to face the Carolina Panthers on the road on Oct. 26. Buffalo's offense struggled on Monday night against an improved Atlanta defense without Kincaid in the mix. Backup Dawson Knox found the end zone for the first time this year on Monday with Kincaid out, but it was his only catch of the game on just two targets. Fantasy managers looking for TE reinforcements going forward should probably avoid Knox.