Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Jake Ferguson

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.

Wednesday, December 10, 10:42 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (calf) was limited during Wednesday's practice with a calf issue. Ferguson had a clean bill of health heading into Week 14's Thursday night matchup with the Lions, and he was heavily involved throughout the game, finishing with five catches on seven targets for 58 yards. Ferguson has been the TE3 in Half-PPR formats and is RotoBaller's TE8 heading into a Week 15 Sunday night matchup with the Vikings, so his status certainly bears monitoring. Third-year tight end Luke Schoonmaker makes for an interesting pivot should Ferguson's availability remain cloudy until game time, but with all teams now past the bye, fantasy managers should be able to find higher upside streaming options in what would be a worst-case scenario.