Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Elijah Arroyo

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 21, 9:21 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo recorded four catches for 42 yards on five targets in his team's Week 7 win over the Houston Texans. That marked just the second time Arroyo has eclipsed 40 receiving yards in a game this season. Overall, he's recorded 11 catches for 140 yards on 17 targets across the first seven games of his NFL career. Arroyo appears to be firmly behind AJ Barner on the Seahawks' tight end depth chart, as his snap counts have been closer to Seattle TE3 Eric Saubert's than Barner's. As long as that continues, Arroyo is unlikely to be a consistently fantasy-relevant player.