Who Should I Start? MyCole Pruitt or Austin Hooper

Thursday, April 4, 10:14 PM

Free-agent tight end MyCole Pruitt agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, according to a source. Pruitt will reunite with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after working with him in both Tennessee and Atlanta. The 32-year-old veteran had 25 receptions on 33 targets for 260 yards and five touchdowns in 30 games (12 starts) in the last two years with the Falcons. The former fifth-round pick (143rd overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 out of Southern Illinois has mostly been a blocking tight end in his nine years in the NFL and has never really been on the fantasy radar. In Pittsburgh, both Pruitt and Darnell Washington will pair to provide blocking for the team's running game, with Pat Freiermuth to continue his role as the primary pass-catching tight end.

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.