Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Mike Gesicki

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.

Wednesday, October 15, 11:11 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (pectoral) has been placed on Injured Reserve due to a pectoral injury, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 30-year-old has recorded eight catches for 61 yards on 16 targets through his first six games of 2025. He will now miss at least the next four games for Cincinnati. With Gesicki sidelined and tight end Tanner Hudson (concussion) questionable to play in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals will likely turn to Noah Fant and Drew Sample to handle the tight end snaps. Fant has recorded 16 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on 18 targets across five games this season and could be a low-end streaming option for fantasy managers in Week 7.