Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Ross Dwelley

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, May 2, 4:17 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract with former Atlanta Falcons tight end Ross Dwelley. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news, but did not disclose the monetary details. The 30-year-old spent his first seven campaigns in the league with San Francisco and will return after a one-year stint with the Falcons. Dwelley appeared in all 17 games last season, but he played only 105 snaps (9.19%) -- snagging his only target for a gain of five yards. He did most of his damage -- snap-wise -- on special teams, but was still only on the field roughly a third of the time (37.22% of snaps). It's possible the 49ers brought him on due to his familiarity with their system, but he doesn't project to make an impact in the receiving column. He'll serve as a depth piece for the organization.