Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Mason Taylor

Saturday, July 19, 8:48 PM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (undisclosed) was placed on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday. He won't practice to begin training camp, although he is eligible once medically cleared. The 30-year-old has appeared in 139 regular-season games for the Falcons, Browns, Titans, Raiders, and Patriots since entering the NFL in 2016, amassing 409 catches for 4,178 yards and 28 touchdowns. Hooper is listed behind Hunter Henry on the depth chart. That likely won't change unless Henry goes down with an injury. Even then, Hooper won't be considered a trustworthy fantasy option. With that in mind, he's not expected to see attention from managers in any fantasy format during drafts heading into the 2025 campaign.

Friday, July 18, 10:58 AM

The New York Jets and tight end Mason Taylor have agreed to terms on a four-year rookie contract, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. The Jets drafted Taylor out of LSU in the second round of the 2025 draft, and he appears to be the favorite to start at tight end as a rookie. In his final college season at LSU, Taylor had 55 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns. Previous reporting has indicated that the Jets expect him to contribute to the offense immediately, and there's certainly an opportunity for pass-catchers behind star wide receiver Garrett Wilson to emerge. New York's other options at tight end entering camp are Jeremy Ruckert, Stone Smartt, and Zack Kuntz. Now that he's under contract with the team, Taylor will have a full training camp to build chemistry with Jets quarterback Justin Fields.