Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Harold Fannin Jr.

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.

Wednesday, October 15, 12:21 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is coming off the best game of his young career in Week 6 at Pittsburgh, catching seven of ten targets for 81 yards. Fannin could be set up for even more targets with David Njoku (knee) leaving Sunday's game early and missing Wednesday's practice. The rookie trailed only wideout Jerry Jeudy for the team lead in targets and looks to be building a rapport with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel on some of these underneath routes. Fannin's three highest games by snap share have come in the past three weeks, and he could be a focal point of their passing attack in Week 7 against Miami. He would rank as an upside TE1 if Njoku is unable to play.