Who Should I Start? Justin Tucker or Austin Hooper

Friday, January 5, 5:32 PM

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker may not have attempted any field goals in Week 17 but was able to produce a respectable fantasy performance. He was able to make all eight of his extra-point attempts. That was his first game without attempting a single field goal since Week 4 and just the second one of the season. In Week 18, the offense is going to be a shell of itself while plenty of the starters get a well-deserved rest week after locking up the first seed in the AFC. This also means that Tucker should get plenty of opportunities when the offense inevitably stalls against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that is fighting for its playoff hopes.

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.