Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Austin Hooper

Monday, December 8, 3:44 PM

An MRI exam on Monday confirmed that Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Week 14 shutout loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's tough news for the 35-year-old veteran, who will finish his 13th year in the NFL with 50 receptions on 72 targets for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 13 starts in his second year with the Commanders. Fantasy managers can safely drop Ertz now. Ben Sinnott will be the best bet for most of the targets as the team's top pass-catching TE with Ertz done for the year, although he will be sharing snaps with John Bates and Colson Yankoff. At best, Sinnott will be a low-end TE2 streamer for fantasy managers in deeper leagues in Week 15 when Washington battles the division-rival New York Giants on the road.

Wednesday, November 19, 2:59 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) carved out standalone fantasy value in his role behind Hunter Henry last season, but he has failed to establish himself as a worthwhile fantasy addition during the 2025 campaign. He went from the overall TE24 in PPR leagues last year to TE45 through Week 11 this season. The 31-year-old hasn't registered more than three targets in a single game this season, which is a major step backward after he averaged 3.5 targets per game in 2024. While Henry has cemented himself as the Patriots' top tight end and is one reason for Hooper's underwhelming year, the bigger factor is likely the wide receivers' increased productivity. Players like Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins have elevated this position room higher than in years past, leaving fewer opportunities for a backup tight end like Hooper. An injury has complicated his status even more, as Hooper missed Week 11 in concussion protocol and remains up in the air for Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Even if he plays, he'll remain off the fantasy radar in all leagues. His only path to fantasy relevance would be a Hunter Henry injury.