Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Jonnu Smith

Tuesday, July 29, 9:36 PM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (undisclosed) returned to practice on Tuesday, according to Evan Lazar of Patriots.com. Hooper had started camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, but he appears to be back in action. The 30-year-old recorded 45 catches for 476 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games with New England in 2024. He's behind Hunter Henry on the Patriots' tight end depth chart, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team use plenty of two tight-end sets now that Josh McDaniels is back in town as the play-caller. Even still, Hooper would need an injury to Henry to crack the radar of fantasy managers.

Tuesday, August 12, 6:05 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that wide receiver Calvin Austin III (abdomen) and tight end Jonnu Smith (knee) are considered day-to-day. "Hopefully they're back sooner rather than later," Tomlin said. The head coach categorized Smith's injury as knee soreness, while Austin is working through a minor abdominal issue. It remains to be seen if either play will suit up for the second preseason game on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but even if they don't, they should be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. Austin has the inside track to be the WR2 behind DK Metcalf this year, but that role is still unlikely to give the 26-year-old enough volume to make him an every-week starter in fantasy. Meanwhile, Smith lost most of his fantasy appeal in the offseason trade from Miami to Pittsburgh.