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

Wednesday, November 19, 2:59 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) carved out standalone fantasy value in his role behind Hunter Henry last season, but he has failed to establish himself as a worthwhile fantasy addition during the 2025 campaign. He went from the overall TE24 in PPR leagues last year to TE45 through Week 11 this season. The 31-year-old hasn't registered more than three targets in a single game this season, which is a major step backward after he averaged 3.5 targets per game in 2024. While Henry has cemented himself as the Patriots' top tight end and is one reason for Hooper's underwhelming year, the bigger factor is likely the wide receivers' increased productivity. Players like Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins have elevated this position room higher than in years past, leaving fewer opportunities for a backup tight end like Hooper. An injury has complicated his status even more, as Hooper missed Week 11 in concussion protocol and remains up in the air for Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Even if he plays, he'll remain off the fantasy radar in all leagues. His only path to fantasy relevance would be a Hunter Henry injury.

Friday, December 5, 3:26 PM

Tight end T.J. Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings has a strong matchup against a bad Washington Commanders defense in Week 14, but fantasy managers should consider him a TE2 option due to the team's continued struggles on offense. The Commanders allow scoring drives at the highest rate in the NFL, but the Vikings are turning over the ball at the highest rate, which has been a major contributor to the team scoring on fewer than 32% of its possessions. Hockenson is coming off his best game of the year with six catches for 59 yards at Seattle, but Minnesota will experience yet another quarterback change now that starter J.J. McCarthy (concussion) is back. Even when the Vikings' offense is at its best, the veteran tight end is the team's third option behind receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, so managers may want to reserve Hockenson only for formats that start more than one tight end.