Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Pat Freiermuth

Thursday, November 21, 6:12 PM

The New England Patriots removed tight end Austin Hooper (neck) from the Week 12 injury report on Thursday, which means he was a full practice participant. Hooper was limited in Wednesday's session but is now ready to roll for a divisional clash this Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Dolphins. The 30-year-old veteran has become more intriguing as a TE2 sleeper play in deeper leagues and DFS contests now that rookie quarterback Drake Maye is leading the offense. However, the fantasy ceiling and floor remain pretty low as he works behind Hunter Henry. Most of Hooper's production has come in the last two games, as he's caught seven of his eight targets for 99 yards and no touchdowns. Hooper's lone score of the season came back in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers back on Sept. 29. He should be on the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues.

Wednesday, November 20, 8:08 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has done very little for fantasy over the past six weeks but will look to bounce back in a divisional bout with the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. The Browns look like a favorable matchup for tight ends on paper, but Taysom Hill's monstrous showing last week accounts for nearly 35% of the points Cleveland has allowed to the position this season. Only two other tight ends have managed top-10 finishes against the Browns in 2024. Freiermuth does not seem to have a reliable role in Pittsburgh's offense with quarterback Russell Wilson targeting fellow tight end Darnell Washington twice more than Freiermuth since taking over for Justin Fields in Week 7. Even with a few big names on bye this week, fantasy managers should not rely on Freiermuth as there are likely better replacement options available on waivers.