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.

Thursday, January 29, 3:31 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson didn't have much of a chance in 2024 after quarterback Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury, finishing his third year in the NFL with 59 catches, 494 yards, and zero touchdowns in 14 starts. Ferguson was able to bounce back in 2025, though, with a career-high 82 receptions on 102 targets for 600 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in 17 contests. It wasn't all great for the 27-year-old, though, as he didn't go over 20 receiving yards in any of his final four games while also finishing with a career-low 7.3 yards per catch. All in all, it was a successful fourth year in the NFL. Ferguson was the TE7 in half-PPR scoring, and he will be a no-doubt TE1 target in fantasy football drafts this fall as the top pass-catching tight end in the Cowboys' high-scoring offense. Despite receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens seeing their fair share of targets, Ferguson was one of only eight TEs who saw over 100 targets in 2025.