Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Greg Zuerlein

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.

Monday, March 11, 4:48 PM

The New York Jets are re-signing veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein to a two-year, $8.4 million deal. The 36-year-old made 35 of his 38 field-goal attempts and 13 of his 14 extra-point tries in 2023. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) out of action, the Jets' offense sputtered, leading to a ton of stalled-out drives and field-goal attempts. If Rodgers is good to go for 2024 and is playing at a high level, more drives could be converted into touchdowns. That said, Zuerlein has a wide range of outcomes in fantasy football next season.