Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Pat Freiermuth

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 1, 1:32 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth missed practice on Wednesday with a quad injury but has since been removed from the injury report and should be a full-go against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. The fifth-year pro had a massive showing back in Week 7, but followed it up with a quiet three-catch, 13-yard performance in last week's loss to the Green Bay Packers. He gets another great matchup on Sunday, as the Colts have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game and fourth-most receptions to opposing tight ends. This contest is projected to be high-scoring, so Freiermuth may see enough opportunities to bounce back for fantasy purposes. Still, with Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington also in the mix for snaps, Freiermuth remains difficult to trust as anything more than a low-end TE2.