Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or David Montgomery

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.

Sunday, January 21, 6:33 PM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery rushed ten times for 33 yards and caught three passes for 14 yards in the 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His final stats in the NFC Divisional Round were far from impressive, but he remains a key piece of the team's offense despite the emergence of rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. The 49ers allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs during the regular season, so Montgomery could be in for another hard-fought day in the NFC Championship Game. That said, he scored 14 touchdowns in the regular season and Wild Card Rounds combined, so he remains a DFS consideration.