Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Luke Musgrave

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.

Monday, December 15, 11:42 PM

Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave hadn't done much with his increased opportunities since Tucker Kraft suffered a season-ending knee injury. However, he had season-highs in catches (four), targets (six), and receiving yards (52) in the 34-26 loss to the hosting Denver Broncos on Sunday. The 25-year-old former second-rounder has seen 10 targets in the last two weeks, catching six of them for 74 yards. Musgrave has yet to find the end zone in 2025, but the good news is that he has little competition for targets at his position, and he could see more work going into a crucial Week 16 divisional game against the Chicago Bears this Sunday if receiver Christian Watson (chest) is unable to play. Musgrave caught two of his four targets for 22 yards in the Week 14 win over the Bears at Lambeau Field. Coming off a season-best performance in Denver, Musgrave is one to watch as a touchdown-dependent TE2 streamer if Watson is inactive in Week 16.