Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Hunter Long

Wednesday, November 19, 2:59 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) carved out standalone fantasy value in his role behind Hunter Henry last season, but he has failed to establish himself as a worthwhile fantasy addition during the 2025 campaign. He went from the overall TE24 in PPR leagues last year to TE45 through Week 11 this season. The 31-year-old hasn't registered more than three targets in a single game this season, which is a major step backward after he averaged 3.5 targets per game in 2024. While Henry has cemented himself as the Patriots' top tight end and is one reason for Hooper's underwhelming year, the bigger factor is likely the wide receivers' increased productivity. Players like Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins have elevated this position room higher than in years past, leaving fewer opportunities for a backup tight end like Hooper. An injury has complicated his status even more, as Hooper missed Week 11 in concussion protocol and remains up in the air for Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Even if he plays, he'll remain off the fantasy radar in all leagues. His only path to fantasy relevance would be a Hunter Henry injury.

Friday, November 14, 9:42 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Hunter Long (hip, knee) has been ruled out ahead of the Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Long was limited in practice this week, but that won't be enough to get him on the field this weekend. Long will miss his second straight game, which is bad news with Brenton Strange (quad) still sidelined. That means, Johnny Mundt and Quintin Morris will be the primary tight ends this weekend. Neither player offers viable streaming value for this Week 11 matchup.