Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Greg Dulcich

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.

Wednesday, January 3, 10:24 PM

Denver Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich (foot) was not officially activated from Injured Reserve by his 21-day deadline on Wednesday and will not play in the Week 18 regular season finale against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. A hamstring injury kept Dulcich out for the vast majority of his second NFL season, although a foot injury was ultimately what prevented him from making a late-season return. The 23-year-old caught three of his four targets for 25 yards in the two games he appeared in this year. Adam Trautman served as Denver's top pass-catching tight end all year with Dulcich sidelined, but he wasn't a realistic weekly starting option. Dulcich has some intrigue as a pass-catcher, but he's going to need to stay on the field to stay in Denver's long-term plans heading into the 2024 season.