Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Gerald Everett

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.

Tuesday, March 12, 2:55 PM

The Chicago Bears have agreed to undisclosed terms with veteran free-agent tight end Gerald Everett on Tuesday, according to a source. Everett is heading into his age-30 season in 2024 and is coming off a year in which he caught a modest 51 passes on 70 targets for 411 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his second season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 15 games (12 starts). With the move to Chicago, where he's expected to play second fiddle to Cole Kmet, Everett can no longer be considered in the TE1 grouping in fantasy. In his seven-year career, Everett has never had more than 58 receptions, 478 yards or four touchdowns in a single season. There's basically no upside here for fantasy managers, especially with Chicago expected to be using a rookie quarterback in 2024.