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

Monday, December 23, 2:49 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper caught four of his five targets for 55 yards during Sunday's Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. It has been fascinating to watch him take on a larger role in the Patriots' offense without detracting much from Hunter Henry's volume, productivity, or fantasy value. Over his last six games, Hooper has 22 catches, 293 yards, and two touchdowns, out-producing Henry in yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points (PPR) during that span. That's not to say that Hooper should be started over Henry going forward, but it's at least justification to consider adding him off waivers in deeper fantasy leagues. After all, he has shown that he can produce consistently, tallying at least 6.8 fantasy points in each of his last six games. Hooper should continue to rank as a mid-range fantasy TE2 heading into next Saturday's battle with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sunday, December 22, 11:44 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson caught 2-of-5 targets in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The sixth-year pro was used sparsely on a day where wide receiver Justin Jefferson commanded most of quarterback Sam Darnold's attention (10/144/2). Otherwise, all other Vikings pass-catchers combined for just 12 receptions and 102 yards against a Seattle defense that hung tough most of the afternoon. It's another disappointing performance for Hockenson. The former Iowa Hawkeye has had two nice games in which he combined for 15 receptions and 186 yards. However, he's recorded only 19 catches and 192 yards in the other six. Things will get a bit easier for him in Week 17 against a Green Bay Packers defense that had allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to TEs ahead of this weekend. For now, though, fantasy managers may want to consider Hockenson as more of a TE2 with upside.