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 17, 9:11 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fannt caught all four of his targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 33-31 win over the Steelers. Fant expectedly played his highest snap share of the season so far (68.4%) with top tight ends Mike Gesicki (pectoral) and Tanner Hudson (concussion) both ruled out for this game. The 27-year-old capitalized on a Pittsburgh defense that has struggled against tight ends, finding the end zone for the first time since Week 1 and recording a season-high in receiving yards. The Bengals' offense looked much improved with newly acquired Joe Flacco under center, putting Fant back into streamer consideration next week if he gets another start.