Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Dalton Kincaid

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.

Tuesday, April 29, 4:25 PM

The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia writes that Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has a bit of a buy-low, post-hype sleeper feel about him as he enters the 2025 season. Kincaid is fully healthy this offseason and is likely to take the team's advice to get stronger. The 25-year-old former 25th overall pick in 2023 out of Utah had lofty expectations going into last year after catching 73 passes for 673 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie campaign. He failed to meet those expectations last year, catching 44 passes for 448 yards and two TDs in 13 regular-season games. In addition to Kincaid, Buffalo is hoping receivers Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel can build on their success from a year ago. The Bills spread things out as an offense in 2024, but Kincaid's knee injury didn't help his cause. Target him a a low-end TE1 in fantasy with upside for more in his third season.