Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Noah Gray

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.

Saturday, November 8, 12:57 AM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray was held without a catch and played a season-low 37 percent of the offensive snaps during last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills. The direct backup to Travis Kelce heads into the Chiefs' bye week with a goal to get back on track, earn more snaps, and produce at a higher level in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos. It has been a disappointing start to Gray's fifth pro season. Last year, he had occasional standalone value and finished the year as the overall TE22 in PPR leagues. So far this year, he is the TE55, has just 1.2 touchdowns per game, and is still searching for his first touchdown of the campaign. Even as Kelce shows some signs of aging, Gray can be dropped to waivers in all redraft and most dynasty leagues.