Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or George Kittle

Tuesday, July 29, 9:36 PM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (undisclosed) returned to practice on Tuesday, according to Evan Lazar of Patriots.com. Hooper had started camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, but he appears to be back in action. The 30-year-old recorded 45 catches for 476 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games with New England in 2024. He's behind Hunter Henry on the Patriots' tight end depth chart, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team use plenty of two tight-end sets now that Josh McDaniels is back in town as the play-caller. Even still, Hooper would need an injury to Henry to crack the radar of fantasy managers.

Wednesday, June 25, 3:26 PM

During a recent appearance on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said he feels great physically and mentally, and he is not putting a timeline on his retirement. The former fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Iowa said he will play "literally until I don't have fun anymore." The Pro Bowl and All-Pro fixture recently signed a four-year extension to remain with the Niners long term following a 78-catch, 1,106-yard, eight-touchdown season in 2024. "The one benefit of not making the playoffs is you get an entire month off," Kittle said. "I haven't had January off since 2020." This sounds like a great development for Kittle's fantasy managers and his upside in 2025, especially after the departure of receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., who was traded to the Washington Commanders. Kittle is currently being priced as the TE3 in half-PPR ADP, and it would be a surprise if he's not in contention for the overall TE1 once again in his ninth NFL campaign.