Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or John Stephens Jr.

Sunday, March 9, 8:57 PM

The New England Patriots are re-signing veteran tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $5 million deal with a max value of $7 million. Hooper, a two-time Pro Bowler, notched 45 receptions and 476 yards with New England a season ago, his highest marks since his 2021 stint with the Cleveland Browns. While he began the 2024 season cold, the 30-year-old picked it up over the back half -- racking up four catches in five of his last seven appearances as then-rookie signal-caller Drake Maye got acclimated to the NFL. The Stanford product played second fiddle to fellow tight end Hunter Henry last season and figures to do so again if his teammate stays healthy, as the latter out-paced the former handily in snaps (835-575) despite playing in one fewer contest. It's possible Hooper returns some TE2 value this upcoming season, but he's better off left to waivers until he proves otherwise.

Thursday, October 24, 2:50 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end John Stephens Jr. (knee) will miss the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL during Wednesday's practice, according to NFL.com. The second-year undrafted free agent out of Louisiana has been with Dallas since the 2023 offseason but has not logged any stats. This injury is not consequential for fantasy football, but it depletes depth behind tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker.