Getty Gallery: 4/7
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.