Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Mason Taylor

Saturday, September 20, 2:49 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper has seen increased usage within the team's offense, but it's not enough to justify starting him in fantasy football against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Hooper's snap share jumped from 32 percent in Week 1 to 62 percent in Week 2, and his pass-catching volume increased, too. The 30-year-old caught all three of his targets for 38 yards last week, out-producing Hunter Henry despite playing fewer snaps than him. Hooper remains the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart behind Henry, but he's still seeing decent playing time, especially in two-tight end sets. This week, Hooper is facing a mid-range Steelers defense that has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to tight ends. Hooper ranks as RotoBaller's TE41 this week, and he can be benched in most leagues.

Tuesday, October 21, 8:32 AM

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor bounced back a little bit from a one-catch game in London, hauling in three of his five targets on Sunday for 31 yards. The second-round pick played 93% of the snaps for the Jets and has been almost an every-down option for New York the last few weeks. With Garrett Wilson (knee) out, Taylor finished second on the team with five targets behind only Josh Reynolds, who drew nine targets from Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor. Neither quarterback made the offense look great, but Taylor is involved enough to be worth a look if you need help from the waiver wire at tight end, especially if Wilson is out another week. Taylor and the 0-7 Jets visit the Bengals this week before their Week 9 bye week. The Bengals have been the most generous matchup in the NFL for tight ends this season, so Taylor has upside to consider as a one-week solution.