Austin Hooper

Hooper has quietly emerged as a weekly pass-catching threat for the Patriots. The team's lack of a production rotation at wide receiver has forced them to lean on a second tight end more than most offenses. Hooper has returned the favor with four catches in four straight games and touchdowns in back-to-back contests. Hooper will remain in the TE2 mix versus the Cardinals following New England's Week 14 bye.

Hooper now has at least 35 receiving yards in three straight games and has posted at least 59 yards in two of those. However, he has also not seen more than four targets in any of those games, so this is more of a case of a player making the most of his opportunities. Today, Hooper was left wide open in the end zone as Drake Maye was flushed from the pocket and had to roll right. Hooper had to come back to the ball and still had time to work back into the end zone. This doesn't feel like anything worth chasing while Hunter Henry is healthy.

Much of the discussion will center on how poorly the offensive line played, and that's true, but Maye also struggled to identify pressure in the pocket and missed receivers over the middle of the field a handful of times in the first half. Maye has shown good athleticism out of the pocket and did hit a wide-open Austin Hooper for a touchdown while rolling out, but this game was far more bad than good. Of note, Maye tied an NFL record for starting his career with 10 touchdown passes to 10 different receivers, which speaks volumes to the lack of star power in this Patriots receiving corps.

With New England's receiving room in constant flux, Hooper has stepped into an ancillary pass-catching role over the past two weeks. He has four targets in back-to-back games. Hooper remains at weak TE2 option at best for Week 12, but he at least has a pulse.

Hooper is on track to play given his Wednesday availability but he is hardly a worthwhile TE streaming option in typical leagues, functioning more so as a limiting factor for his teammates' target shares. Hooper should be active this weekend though.