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, November 7, 5:59 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson should be considered a low-end TE2 option with his team taking on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10. The veteran burned his former team, the Detroit Lions, with a touchdown catch last week, but Minnesota completed only 14 passes for 143 yards behind first-time starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, albeit in a big victory. The Ravens currently rank 10th against half-PPR tight ends, and Baltimore has held its past three opponents to an average of 13 points. In McCarthy's three starts this year, Hockenson has a total of 10 targets, and there could be more bumps in the road with what is effectively a rookie quarterback learning on the fly. Hockenson is still a distant third in the Vikings' passing game pecking order behind receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, so relying upon the tight end is a tough sell this week.