Who Should I Start? Dante Pettis or Austin Hooper

Friday, March 15, 3:59 PM

Veteran free-agent wide receiver Dante Pettis is signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN. The 2018 second-round pick last played in 2022 with Chicago, and he was released during last year's training camp with an injury settlement. Pettis has hauled in just 71 passes for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns through his first 50 regular season games. He's unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024, especially since the Bears now have one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.

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.