Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Trey McBride

Sunday, January 5, 10:23 PM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper caught four of his six targets for 27 yards during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. The veteran tight end handled an increased workload in the regular-season finale, playing 67.2 percent of the Patriots' offensive snaps with Hunter Henry (foot) sidelined. The 30-year-old finished as a low-end TE2 in fantasy football this season with 45 catches, 476 yards, and three touchdowns. Hooper was a pleasant surprise during his first year in New England, maintaining a significant role on offense despite being listed second on the depth chart behind Henry. He's slated to hit free agency in March but could be a priority re-signing for the Patriots' next coaching regime.

Sunday, February 9, 12:57 PM

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Arizona Cardinals hope to re-sign impending free-agent tight end Trey McBride this offseason. The tight end market has been in the $15-17 million per-year range for some time now, but McBride could change that this offseason after recording 192 catches the last two seasons. Although he inexplicably scored just two touchdowns during the 2024 season, McBride led the Cardinals across the board as a receiver and also set new career-highs in receptions (111), targets (147) and receiving yards (1,146) in 16 games played. His 1,146 receiving yards were second at the position, behind only rookie Brock Bowers. McBride was the TE3 in half-PPR scoring, behind Bowers and George Kittle. He will be highly coveted on the open market, but it sounds like Arizona will do everything in their power to retain him. McBride has upside for more in 2025 if he can find the end zone more.