Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Jake Ferguson


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.3 0.0 0.0 1.3 15.1 0.1

Austin Hooper News

Austin Hooper Heading Back to Atlanta

Monday, March 9, 9:40 AM

Free-agent tight end Austin Hooper is signing a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Hooper was originally drafted by Atlanta in the third round in 2016 out of Stanford. The 31-year-old veteran spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Falcons and was a Pro Bowler with them in 2018 and 2019. He then bounced around with the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots. Hooper hasn't been as productive as he was in his final two seasons in Atlanta, and in his return, he'll be a backup to TE Kyle Pitts Sr. In 16 regular-season games (six starts) for the Patriots last year, Hooper had just 21 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Unless Pitts is traded or injured in 2026, Hooper won't be on the fantasy radar in redraft leagues this fall.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
9.8 0.0 0.0 4.2 34.8 0.3

Jake Ferguson News

Jake Ferguson Difficult to Trust at His Current Draft Cost

Friday, July 24, 6:38 AM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson finished as the TE8 in 2025, but the context of how he arrived there makes him a difficult player to trust even at his current ADP of TE13. Through the first seven weeks of the season, with five-time Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb missing time with a high ankle sprain, Ferguson served as a crucial piece of the Cowboys' offense, making six touchdown grabs and pacing as the top tight end in fantasy to begin the year. However, once Lamb returned to form, Ferguson caught only two more touchdowns over his final 10 games and was barely usable as the TE22 the rest of the way. With Lamb and George Pickens both healthy and in the lineup, Ferguson has little chance of ever serving as more than a third option in the passing game, arguably making the second half of last year more representative of his fantasy profile. While Ferguson's insurance upside is obvious, without an injury ahead of him, he could fail to provide usable fantasy weeks with any consistency in 2026.


Austin Hooper vs. Jake Ferguson

Still trying to decide between Hooper and Ferguson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Austin Hooper is projected to score 3.3 points this week while Jake Ferguson is projected to score 9.8 points.