Austin Hooper is the New England Patriots tight end and finished the 2025 regular season as a low-end fantasy option at his position. He averaged 4.0 fantasy points per game across 15 appearances, which ranks him 0th among tight ends in our 2026 draft board. That per-game number is the starting point for every start or sit decision you make with him in 2026.
Austin Hooper finished 2025 with 32 receptions for 292 yards and 1 touchdowns. He drew 42 targets, a workload that anchors his weekly floor without quite hitting alpha status.
Austin Hooper lives in the matchup-dependent tier of tight ends. In weeks against defenses that struggle against the position, he is a strong start. In weeks where his role gets squeezed, streaming a waiver-wire tight end can produce more points. Know his schedule and plan around it.
Heading into 2026, Austin Hooper projects as a core piece of the New England Patriots offense. Managers drafting him need to plan around his Week 14 bye and monitor training camp reports for role changes. DraftCall's AI comparison engine lets you pit him against any other NFL player in seconds, factoring in matchup quality, recent form, and scoring format, so you can make start or sit calls with real reasoning instead of gut feel.
