Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Noah Fant

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, November 11, 11:50 AM

Before a Week 10 bye, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant had begun to emerge as a more consistent feature of his team's passing game. In his final three games played before the bye, Fant recorded nine catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets. In Week 11, the Bengals will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fant arguably had his best game of the season in Week 7 against Pittsburgh, hauling in four catches for 44 yards and a score. If the Week 11 matchup between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh proves to be another shootout, Fant could have an opportunity to find the end zone again. In deep fantasy leagues, Fant could be a decent streaming option for managers navigating injuries at the tight end position.