Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Will Dissly

Wednesday, March 13, 12:18 AM

Las Vegas Raiders free-agent tight end Austin Hooper is expected to sign a one-year deal worth up to $4.25 million with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The veteran tight end will reunite with new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was with Hooper with the Cleveland Browns. Hooper made the Pro Bowl two straight years from 2018-19 while with the Atlanta Falcons, but he hasn't been nearly as involved as he was then in the last four seasons with the Browns, Titans and Raiders. In 17 games (nine starts) last year in Vegas, the 29-year-old caught just 25 of 31 targets for 234 yards and no touchdowns. With both Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown now gone, Hooper figures to serve as New England's No. 2 TE behind Hunter Henry in 2024. Unless Henry gets hurt, Hooper is unlikely to have a significant enough role to warrant fantasy consideration in standard-sized leagues.

Monday, March 11, 5:53 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are signing former Seattle Seahawks tight end Will Dissly to a three-year, $14 million deal with $10 million fully guaranteed in the first two years on Monday, according to a source. Veteran Gerald Everett is a free agent, so Dissly has a chance to come to LA in 2024 and play a meaningful role as both a pass-catcher and blocker in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first season in his return to the NFL. The 27-year-old Dissly was a former fourth-round selection in 2018 by Seattle out of Washington, and he caught 127 passes for 1,421 yards and 13 touchdowns in his six years with the Seahawks. Last year, Dissly had just 17 receptions for 172 yards and one score, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be much more than a touchdown-dependent tight end streamer in his new home with the Bolts.