Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or T.J. Hockenson

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, 4:45 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is a middle-of-the-pack TE2 option with his team set to play host to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7. Not only has the veteran tight end's production swung wildly from week to week, but the Eagles have been particularly good against fantasy tight ends, holding them to the fourth-fewest points. However, Hockenson has had better production with Carson Wentz, who will start Sunday with J.J. McCarthy (ankle) listed as questionable as he returns from injury. Still, Hockenson has finished among the top 15 fantasy tight ends just once in five tries, making him hard to trust in formats that play only one tight end.