Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Mark Andrews

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, January 30, 3:43 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews had his least productive season since his rookie year in 2025, recording 48 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns on 70 targets across 17 games played. Following Baltimore's Week 7 bye, Andrews played fewer than 70% of his team's offensive snaps in every game. He also earned four or fewer targets in 11 contests. Part of Andrews' drop in production can be attributed to missed time from Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson, which impacted the team's offensive output overall. However, the veteran tight end's numbers were only slightly better in the 13 games Jackson was active for in 2025. Heading into 2026, Andrews will be entering his age-31 season and may simply be slowing down. Baltimore will also have an entirely new coaching staff in place, which could lead to changes across the roster. From a fantasy perspective, Andrews profiles as an increasingly difficult tight end option to trust in both redraft and dynasty formats.