Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Tommy Tremble

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.

Monday, November 17, 11:41 AM

Tommy Tremble saw little involvement in the passing game but made a game-changing impact on one singular play in the Panthers' hard-fought 30-27 victory over the Falcons. The fifth-year TE only caught one pass in the entire game during overtime for 54 yards that set up the eventual game-winning field goal. The San Francisco 49ers are Carolina's next opponent for Week 12, and they ranked 25th in the league in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to TEs leading up to Week 11. Although San Francisco is a solid matchup for TEs, Tremble has not provided the volume to take advantage of the matchup. He has averaged 2.3 targets per game and was targeted more than four times once this season, in Week 4. Fantasy players should look for other alternatives to stream for their lineups instead of Tremble.