Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Tanner Conner

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.

Wednesday, September 17, 7:05 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Tanner Conner has been splitting time almost evenly with starter Julian Hill, as the duo works to replace Darren Waller (hip), who will miss his third straight game when the Dolphins take on the Bills on Thursday Night Football. While Hill is still without a target, Conner had four targets in Week 1, making two catches for 20 yards. He did not have a catch or a target in Week 2, though, as the Dolphins offense continues to not utilize either tight end in a pass-catching role. Conner is the TE43 in the RotoBaller rankings for this week, so you can probably do better than playing him in all formats.