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.

Friday, October 3, 1:27 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that tight end Noah Fant (concussion) will play in Week 5 on Sunday against the visiting Detroit Lions, according to Jay Morrison of BengalsTalk.com. Fant suffered a concussion in the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and did not get clearance to play in the Monday night loss to his former team, the Denver Broncos, in Week 4. He was able to return to practice this week, though, and he'll be available this weekend as the Bengals look to put an end to their two-game losing streak. Fant had a decent start to the year with 12 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets in his first three games, but he lacks any kind of real fantasy upside now that quarterback Joe Burrow (toe) is lost for most, if not all, of the 2025 season. Cincy should have a positive game script on Sunday versus Detroit, but Fant is a TE2 option to avoid.