Austin Hooper start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

Austin Hooper led the tight ends last year in Cleveland with 435 total yards, going 46-for-70 through 13 games played. He started all 13 of those games while David Njoku and Harrison Bryant both had plenty of playing time, but didn’t get the starting nod as often as Hooper did. While all three battled injuries last year, all three look to be healthy to start the new season so it could make for some tough decisions in the fantasy football realm.

Fantasy Football analysis: Browns TE Austin Hooper

Cleveland will take on the Kansas City Chiefs, who boasted one of the best defenses in the league last season and is looking like they’ll have a similar run this year. The Browns lost to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs last season as well, while Hooper went 2-for-3 for 16 yards as he came up shorter than expected in a solid matchup.

With both Bryant and Njoku vying for the TE1 spot on the roster this year, it’s tough to say that any one of them will be a lock. However, with Hooper starting all 13 of his appearances last season, it’s easy to lean toward going with Hooper over the other two in fantasy teams this season, at least until we see how the Browns offense shakes out over the next few weeks.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Start Austin Hooper as he could be a top-10 fantasy TE if he plays to his full potential.