If you’re looking for fantasy value at tight end this year, Austin Hooper has you covered. Last season, Hooper replaced Zach Ertz in the Pro Bowl after posting career highs of 71 catches, 660 yards and four touchdowns. Respectable as those stats are, those who have been following Hooper’s career closely know he’s capable of putting up some monster numbers if he can get the opportunity.
Enter Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who gets about as much out of his tight ends as any play-caller in the NFL. Heading into 2019, Hooper says he and the rest of Atlanta’s tight ends enjoy Koetter’s up-tempo offense, per the team website.
“There’s a lot of cool up-tempo style plays that are a higher percentage chance for me to find some success and find the football. From a tight end room perspective, I think I can speak for our whole group when we say we really enjoy the new offensive style.”
Koetter and the other tight ends should also benefit from working with Mike Mularkey, a former head coach who is arguably the top tight ends coach in football.
So, what kind of numbers can we expect from Hooper?
For what it’s worth, last year in Tampa Bay, Buccaneers tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate combined for 64 catches, 854 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Now, keep in mind Howard missed six games due to a high ankle sprain and it was either Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing them the ball.
Matt Ryan is a far superior passer to either one and has developed a lot since the last time he worked with Koetter from 2012-2014. The Falcons had Tony Gonzalez for two of those years before he retired. During that time, he averaged 88 catches, 894.5 yards and eight touchdowns per season.
Those numbers could just be a baseline for Hooper in 2019 if he winds up playing all 16 games. His current ADP is No. 127.
