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.

Friday, November 21, 7:08 PM

Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave's opportunity has declined substantially and is no longer fantasy viable when the Packers host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12. Musgrave ran routes on 81 percent of dropbacks in Week 10 against the Eagles. Even his role as a sporadic contributor to the Packers' offense is in peril, as John FitzPatrick earned more snaps and ran four more pass routes than Musgrave did last week against the Giants. With just eight targets and seven receptions for 56 yards in his three combined games after Tucker Kraft's season-ending injury, it seems the replacement for Kraft's workload won't come from the tight end position for the Packers. Musgrave is not worth rostering in fantasy leagues, much less starting in your lineups in Week 12.