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, November 12, 2:26 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (pectoral) has been making positive progress in his recovery from a pectoral injury suffered in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. Gesicki was placed on Injured Reserve following that game and is now entering the fourth game he was required to miss on IR, but should have a good chance of returning in Week 12 versus the Patriots. The 30-year-old was having a quiet start to the year before going down, catching eight of 16 targets for 61 yards in six games. Noah Fant has mostly filled in as the Bengals' tight end with Gesicki sidelined, and he's been a solid contributor, recording 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns since Week 6. Fant will again be a low-end streaming option for fantasy managers in Week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.