Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Tyler Higbee

Saturday, July 19, 8:48 PM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (undisclosed) was placed on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday. He won't practice to begin training camp, although he is eligible once medically cleared. The 30-year-old has appeared in 139 regular-season games for the Falcons, Browns, Titans, Raiders, and Patriots since entering the NFL in 2016, amassing 409 catches for 4,178 yards and 28 touchdowns. Hooper is listed behind Hunter Henry on the depth chart. That likely won't change unless Henry goes down with an injury. Even then, Hooper won't be considered a trustworthy fantasy option. With that in mind, he's not expected to see attention from managers in any fantasy format during drafts heading into the 2025 campaign.

Monday, March 3, 6:15 PM

Los Angeles Rams veteran tight end Tyler Higbee and veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein will both be back with the team in 2025, according to head coach Sean McVay. There were questions as to whether the Rams would keep either player after coming off recent injuries and heading into the last year of their respective deals. Even though Havenstein is expected to be back, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodriguez expects the Rams to target a right tackle in the upcoming NFL draft. Higbee, 32, had surgery on his knee and shoulder last offseason that forced him to miss all but three of the team's regular-season games in 2024. In his three games, he caught eight of 12 targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns and added 12 catches on 15 targets for 112 yards and a TD in two playoff games. With receiver Cooper Kupp likely to be traded this offseason, Higbee could be a sleeper TE to target in fantasy this fall.