Austin

Hooper

Hooper will end his first season in New England with 476 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 45 catches (59 targets). The 30-year-old was also third on the team with five pass plays over 20 yards and showed a little bit of juice after a disappointing season last year in Las Vegas. That’s important for Hooper, who will enter the offseason as a free agent. He’s unlikely to land a starting job next season, but he could easily be the second tight end on a team that utilizes two tight ends often. Regardless, he figures to need an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to be fantasy-relevant in 2025, no matter where he signs.

Hooper continues to be a key part of the Pats’ short-yardage rotations. He worked in tandem with Hunter Henry and caught all of Drake Maye’s tight end targets, tallying three catches for 19 yards. He’s quietly been productive this season, and ranks in the TE2 mix for Week 18.

Hooper is improbably in line for his third TE1 finish over his last four games, pending the results of Sunday and Monday Night Football. The veteran tight end remains an unsettling TE1 floor play against the Chargers in Week 17.

Hooper finished second on the team in catches and yards. He has at least three catches and 30 yards in five straight games. Hooper has caught every one of his targets since Week 10. The veteran tight end has established as TE2 floor but has no ceiling to speak of as the Patriots’ backup tight end.

Hooper has quietly emerged as a weekly pass-catching threat for the Patriots. The team’s lack of a production rotation at wide receiver has forced them to lean on a second tight end more than most offenses. Hooper has returned the favor with four catches in four straight games and touchdowns in back-to-back contests. Hooper will remain in the TE2 mix versus the Cardinals following New England’s Week 14 bye.

Hooper now has at least 35 receiving yards in three straight games and has posted at least 59 yards in two of those. However, he has also not seen more than four targets in any of those games, so this is more of a case of a player making the most of his opportunities. Today, Hooper was left wide open in the end zone as Drake Maye was flushed from the pocket and had to roll right. Hooper had to come back to the ball and still had time to work back into the end zone. This doesn’t feel like anything worth chasing while Hunter Henry is healthy.

With New England’s receiving room in constant flux, Hooper has stepped into an ancillary pass-catching role over the past two weeks. He has four targets in back-to-back games. Hooper remains at weak TE2 option at best for Week 12, but he at least has a pulse.

Hooper is on track to play given his Wednesday availability but he is hardly a worthwhile TE streaming option in typical leagues, functioning more so as a limiting factor for his teammates’ target shares. Hooper should be active this weekend though.

While Hunter Henry is usually Drake Maye’s tight end of choice, Hooper split targets with him and caught intermediate and deep passes against the Bears. He caught a 28-yard pass in the first quarter and totaled 64 yards on three catches for the day. If Henry misses time, Hooper would have fantasy viability, but without consistent production, Hooper is best left on fantasy benches.

Hooper has mainly been used as a blocker this year. He entered Week 7 with eight catches for 82 yards and one touchdown. He set season-highs in targets, catches, and yards this week. Even if his role as a depth pass-catcher increases, Hooper is not on the fantasy radar for Week 8.