Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Dalton Kincaid

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.

Friday, February 20, 1:12 PM

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid took a step forward as a pass-catcher in 2025, which was pretty impressive considering he played most of the year through a torn PCL in his knee. The 26-year-old former first-rounder played in a career-low 12 regular-season games due to knee and hamstring injuries, catching 39 of his 49 targets for 571 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Kincaid's production was still somewhat of a disappointment for fantasy managers, but he was at least more efficient with a 67.3% success rate, and he showed improvement in the red zone. Kincaid will not have offseason surgery, so he should have a normal offseason as he enters an important contract year. If he can finally get over the knee issues that have plagued him the last two years, Kincaid will have the motivation that could easily lead to a fourth-year breakout.