Patriots' Austin Hooper: Logs 45 catches during 2024 season
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Hooper finished the 2024 regular season with 45 catches (on 59 targets) for 476 yards and three TDs in 17 games.
Though Hooper spent his first season with New England working in a tight-end time share that tilted in favor of Hunter Henry (66/674/2 in 16 games), he managed to string together steady enough production down the stretch to maintain a modest but reliable floor in deeper fantasy formats. Hooper is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but it's possible that the Patriots could look into bringing the 30-year-old back in 2025.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Four grabs in Sunday's start
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Hooper caught four of six targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bills.
Getting the start with Hunter Henry (foot) sidelined, Hooper finished the game tied with Antonio Gibson for second on the Patriots in receptions, as the duo functioned as security blankets for QB Joe Milton in his NFL debut. Hooper will be a free agent this offseason, but he shouldn't have much trouble getting a new deal after posting a 45-476-3 line on 59 targets over 17 games, his best production since 2019.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Likely to start at tight end
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Hooper is expected to start at tight end Sunday against the Bills with Hunter Henry (foot) inactive for the contest, Taylor Kyles of CLNSMedia.com reports.
Henry's absence leaves the Patriots with Hooper, Jaheim Bell and Jack Westover as their available options at tight end. The 30-year-old Hooper is by far the most experienced option of the trio, though he's on an expiring contract, and the 3-13 Patriots may not be keen on giving a starter's workload in the season finale. Hooper enters Sunday's game having produced a 41-449-3 line on 53 targets through 16 appearances.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Three catches in Week 17
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Hooper caught all three of his targets for 19 yards in Saturday's 40-7 loss to the Chargers.
Hooper was on the field for 24 of the Patriots' 53 snaps on offense Saturday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, while fellow tight end Hunter Henry logged a season-low 30 snaps and didn't catch either of his targets in the contest. The duo will continue their TE time-share in next weekend's season finale at home versus a Bills team that has secured the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Four catches versus Bills
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Hooper caught four of his five targets for 55 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Bills.
Hooper logged 50 of a possible 73 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, while fellow tight end Hunter Henry was on the field for 61 snaps and caught four of his nine targets for 39 yards and a TD. Though Hooper remains in a timeshare with Henry, his steady involvement in the Patriots passing game makes him an option in deeper/TE-friendly formats.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Three catches Sunday
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Hooper caught all three of his targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 30-17 loss to the Cardinals.
Hooper was on the field for 31 of a possible 51 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, while fellow tight end Hunter Henry logged 41 snaps and caught all four of his targets for 25 yards. Though he continues to work in a timeshare with Henry, Hooper has managed to catch three or four passes in each of his last five games, giving him a modest but reliable fantasy floor in deeper/TE-friendly formats.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Finds end zone again Sunday
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Hooper, who was on the field for 36 of a possible 72 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Colts, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught all of four his targets in the contest for 42 yards and a TD.
Fellow tight end Hunter Henry (56 snaps) caught seven of his nine targets Sunday for a team-high 75 yards, but Hooper still managed to make his mark by logging his third straight four-catch effort and scoring for the second consecutive week. The Patriots are on bye in Week 14, but Hooper's recent string of production makes him worthy of lineup consideration in deeper formats during the team's stretch run.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Scores TD in productive showing
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Hooper secured all four targets for 59 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' 34-15 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
The veteran tight end continued to display impressive chemistry with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, pushing his receiving line over the last three games to a solid 11-158-1 with Sunday's production. Hooper recorded his second touchdown of the season via a 38-yard grab in the fourth quarter, and given his current trajectory, he appears headed to his most productive body of work as a receiver since possibly his first of two seasons in Cleveland back in 2020, when he recorded 46 receptions for 435 yards and four touchdowns over 13 regular-season games.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Cleared for Week 12
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Hooper (neck) has been removed from the Patriots' Week 12 injury report.
Hooper was limited at practice Wednesday, but with his removal from the injury report a day later, the tight end has been cleared to face Miami on Sunday. Though Hooper works in a time share that favors fellow TE Hunter Henry, he's recorded 3-4 catches in four of his last five contests, a pace that puts him on the radar in deeper formats, especially with six teams on bye this week.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Limited in practice Wednesday
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Hooper was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a neck injury, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Hooper is tending to an injury after playing 39 of the Patriots' 76 snaps on offense in this past Sunday's 28-22 loss to the Rams. The tight end now has two more opportunities to practice fully before the Patriots assign their Week 12 injury designations Friday.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Four catches in Week 11
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Hooper, who logged 39 of a possible 76 snaps on offense in Sunday's 28-22 loss to the Rams, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught all four of his targets in the contest for 35 yards.
After a quiet Week 10, fellow tight end Hunter Henry (67 snaps) bounced back by catching six of his nine targets in the contest for 63 yards. While working behind Henry, Hooper carries modest fantasy upside, but he is at least involved enough in the Patriots' offense to merit lineup consideration in deeper TE-heavy formats.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Surprise leading receiver Sunday
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Hooper caught three of four targets for 64 yards in Sunday's 19-3 win over the Bears.
For the third time in the last four games, Hooper caught at least three passes, and this time he turned the volume into a team high in receiving yards on the afternoon, and a season high for himself. The veteran tight end is still behind Hunter Henry on the Patriots' depth chart, but Hooper's 11-119-0 line on 14 targets over the last four games and steady role in the offense might give him some deep-league fantasy appeal in TE premium formats heading into a Week 11 clash with the Rams.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: One catch versus Titans
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Hooper logged 27 of a possible 69 snaps on offense in Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss to the Titans, en route to catching his only target for eight yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, Hunter Henry (60 snaps) caught seven of his eight targets in the contest for 56 yards. While firmly behind Henry in usage at tight end, Hooper is off the fantasy radar in all but the deepest of formats.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Three catches Sunday
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Hooper, who per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com was on the field for 32 of a possible 67 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-22 win over the Jets, caught three of his four targets for 15 yards.
Fellow tight end Hunter Henry (57 snaps) caught five of his six targets Sunday for 45 yards. As long Henry remains available, Hooper is only an option in the deepest of fantasy formats.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Four catches Sunday
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Hooper, who was on the field for 23 of a possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 32-16 loss to the Jaguars, caught four of his five targets in the contest for 32 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, fellow TE Hunter Henry (52 snaps) caught eight of his nine targets for a team-high 92 yards. Despite his uptick in usage Sunday, Hooper is not a high-percentage fantasy lineup option while working in a timeshare that favors Henry.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: One catch versus Texans
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Hooper logged 37 of 66 snaps on offense in Sunday's 41-21 loss to the Texans, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Hooper finished the contest with one catch (on two targets) for five yards, while fellow TE Hunter Henry (47 snaps) caught three of his five targets for 41 yards and a TD. With an 8-82-1 line on 16 targets through six games, Hooper is off the fantasy radar in a timeshare that continues to favor Henry.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: One catch Sunday
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Hooper was on the field for 25 of a possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Dolphins, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Hooper wound up with one catch on three targets for nine yards in the contest, while Hunter Henry logged 56 snaps and caught two of his four targets for 32 yards. In a timeshare that leans toward Henry, Hooper's fantasy upside remains modest, but both veteran TEs could take on bigger roles as security blankets should the Patriots switch to rookie Drake Maye at quarterback.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Scores TD in Week 4
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Hooper logged 38 of a possible 64 snaps on offense in Sunday's 30-13 loss to the 49ers while catching both of his targets for 13 yards and a TD, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, fellow tight end Hunter Henry was on the field for 50 snaps en route to hauling in two of three targets for 12 yards. Through four contests to date, Hooper has six catches on 11 targets for 68 yards and a TD, a pace that keeps him off the fantasy radar while splitting work with Henry.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: One catch against Jets
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Hooper was on the field for 30 of a possible 52 snaps on offense in Thursday's 24-3 loss to the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
In a game in which the Patriots offense was held in check, Hooper caught one of his four targets for 19 yards, while fellow TE Hunter Henry (33 snaps) hauled in two of his three targets for nine yards. Hooper's fantasy upside remains modest as long as Henry remains available.
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Patriots' Austin Hooper: Sits out preseason finale
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Hooper didn't see any action in Sunday's preseason finale against the Commanders.
Per Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site, Hooper was in uniform for the contest, but with top TE Hunter Henry still sidelined by an undisclosed injury and Mitchell Wilcox (calf) also unavailable Sunday, Jaheim Bell, La'Michael Pettway and Jacob Warren were given one last opportunity to make their cases for depth slotting ahead of the team's roster cut downs. As Week 1 approaches, Hooper's fantasy upside early on this season hinges on Henry's availability. When both players are active, Hooper is slated to work in a complementary role.
