Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Jake Ferguson

Saturday, December 21, 12:54 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper has been productive over his last five games, totaling 18 catches, 238 yards, and two touchdowns during that span. Even as the Patriots' No. 2 tight end, Hooper has managed to make a name for himself, ranking as the overall TE14 in fantasy points since Week 10. That actually ranks five whole spots higher than fellow Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, despite the fact that Henry has played more snaps than Hooper and has more fantasy points over the whole season. Hooper's rapport with Drake Maye does put him on the fantasy radar this week, but he's still in the mid-to-low TE2 tier. That's especially true as he prepares to take on a Bills defense allowing the ninth-fewest catches, sixth-fewest receptions, and sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2024.

Saturday, December 21, 12:16 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson heads into Sunday night's matchup against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 still searching for his first touchdown of 2024. Although the matchup is a good one against a Buccaneers defense that has allowed 12.1 half-PPR points per game to the TE position this year (sixth-most in the NFL), Ferguson just hasn't shown any real signs of breaking out with quarterback Cooper Rush under center. The 25-year-old has just five catches on 10 targets for 55 yards after returning from a two-game absence due to injury. But even before that, Ferguson was struggling to make a weekly impact for his fantasy managers. The good news is the Bucs have allowed the second-most receiving yards (974) to tight ends this year, so even if Ferguson stays out of the end zone, he could rack up some decent yardage to make him a top-12 TE in the fantasy semifinals in most leagues.