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Start: TE Austin Hooper vs. Bucs
Sit: TE Hayden Hurst at Titans
Hooper has been one of the most frustrating tight ends to roster, but he is just a representation of the entire position in fantasy with a rotating door of TE1's. You probably had him on your bench last week, but Hooper had nine receptions for 77 yards against the Steelers. Prior to that, Hooper had just four receptions over a two-week span. There are reasons to think this could be another good week for Hooper. The Falcons face a Bucs defense that has been fantasy-friendly for tight ends. Vance McDonald had four receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs in Week 3. The following week Trey Burton finished with two receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay has not only been giving up yards to tight ends, but big plays as well. Atlanta is trying to outscore teams with an aggressive offense thanks to how bad the defense has been decimated by injuries. Matt Ryan will be slinging the ball all over the yard on Sunday with the Falcons at home hosting the Bucs. Chances are Hooper is the beneficiary of playing against a bad defense, and Ryan spreading the ball around. AtlantaFalcons.com broke down why fantasy owners should be cautiously optimistic about Hooper's outlook the rest of the way. "Hooper accounted for nearly a quarter of quarterback Matt Ryan’s targeted air yards, trailing only Julio Jones (35 percent) and caught nine of the 12 passes thrown his way," the Falcons' website notes. "He was the second-most frequently targeted tight end of the weekend, trailing only Indianapolis’ Eric Ebron (nine receptions, 15 targets), and his 75-percent catch percentage ranked fifth among qualifying tight ends (minimum of five targets). Separation was the key to Hooper’s success against the Steelers. He averaged 4.01 yards of space from the nearest defender at the time of the catch or incompletion on his 12 targets. That is more than a yard better than the NFL average and it was able to help him turn four of his receptions into first downs. Hooper was very effective running shorter routes from the line of scrimmage to 10-yards deep. All nine of his receptions came in this area of the field and he helped Ryan complete 85.2 percent of his 27 passes in this zone."Hayden Hurst Is Still Shaking the Rust Off
Hurst made his NFL debut this past weekend, but it was a quiet day for the rookie tight end. Hurst had just one catch for seven yards against the Browns. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh noted it is going to take some time for Hurst to feel comfortable as the team tries to ease him into the rotation. “He got out of it good physically,” Harbaugh told the Baltimore Sun. “He’s in good shape, and I think he did OK — probably what you would expect. He’s going to be better as he gets more reps, but he’s going to be fine.” Hurst faces a Titans defense that is No. 3 in the NFL in passing yards allowed giving up just 210 yards per game. Hurst should not find his way into your lineup, especially with the Ravens splitting up reps among multiple tight ends as the Baltimore Sun explains. "Hurst, the organization’s first of two first-round picks in April’s NFL draft and the first tight end selected overall, was targeted twice, caught one pass for 7 yards and was otherwise quiet in his NFL debut. He played 21 snaps, which trailed Nick Boyle’s 39, fellow rookie Mark Andrews’ 33 and Maxx Williams’ 27," the Baltimore Sun reports.The Atlanta Falcons will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Atlanta will look to catch a break after a rough 1-4 start, while Tampa Bay will attempt to improve upon their middling 2-2 record.
The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox in select areas (coverage map here). If the game is on in your market and you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Fox (live in all 32 NFL markets) is included in FuboTV’s main package, which includes 85 total channels and is largely tailored towards sports fans. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a handy “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which will allow you to watch the game on-demand up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including Fox (live in all 32 NFL markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Fox (live in 17 NFL markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Fox Sports Go
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Fox Sports Go website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the Fox Sports Go app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your FuboTV, Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the Fox digital platforms.
Watch on Your Phone: NFL Mobile
Streaming of in-market and prime-time games can be watched on phones via the NFL Mobile app.
If the Game is Out of Your Market
SundayTicket.TV allows you to watch a live stream of games that are out of your market and aren’t nationally televised. The service is available for people who live in residences that can’t get satellite (apartments, condos, etc.), as well as residents of San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York City. You can check here to see if you’re eligible.
Additionally, most college students may watch out-of-market games via SundayTicket U.
Once signed up, you can watch games on your computer via the NFL Sunday Ticket website, or you can watch on your phone, tablet or other streaming device via the NFL Sunday Ticket app, which is free to download on many different devices.
Watch On-Demand: NFL Game Pass
If you’re fine watching games on-demand, another option is NFL Game Pass Domestic, which allows you to watch replays of every NFL game for a fee of $99.99 for the season. No live games are available under this service, but you’ll be able to watch them following the conclusion of games for the day.
Once signed up, you can watch games on-demand on your computer via the NFL Game Pass website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the NFL Mobile app, which can be downloaded for free on a handful of different devices.
If You’re Outside the United States & Mexico
If you’re not in the United States, surrounding territories, or Mexico, you can watch NFL games live via NFL Game Pass International. The cost of the package depends on which country you’re in.
Once signed up, you can watch games on your computer via the NFL Game Pass website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NFL Mobile app, which can be downloaded for free on a handful of different devices.
Preview
Both Atlanta and Tampa Bay have struggled mightily this season when it comes to defense. The Falcons have given up the most points in the NFL, allowing an average of 32.6 points over the past five weeks. In fact, the only team worse than them is Tampa Bay, who have allowed 34.8 points per game but have only played four games thus far.
Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator Mike Smith spoke with about the struggles his team has faced. “We did some things in the first three games that you can look forward and say, ‘Gosh darn, those guys, they’ve got a chance to do some things well,’” he told FOX Sports. “We’ve been an inconsistent group and really that’s frustrating as a coach because you don’t like to put the inconsistencies out on the field.”
The team’s head coach, Dirk Koetter, told the press that the team has to do a better job of addressing these flaws. “Every week, every game, it’s way bigger than any one guy,” he explained. “It’s never all one person’s fault and it’s never all one person’s credit.” Koetter also said that he was pleased with the team’s tenacity while starting quarterback Jameis Winston has been on suspension. “We’re not exactly where we want to be,” he added, “but we’re also right where we need to be as far as competing for the next 12 weeks.”
Atlanta is experiencing similar issues, which their defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel is confident can be fixed. “We will never make excuses,” he said. “We are professionals. We’re asking the guys to dominate their gap and their job. I think any man that puts on a helmet should be able to do that, what we’re asking them to do. With the ability that you have, if you give us the maximum, we know that’s just enough.”
Atlanta has also had to contend with a string of injured players, including safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal, as well as linebacker Deion Jones and tackle Grady Jarrett.