Austin Hooper

Austin Hooper has been a standout player during the Titans' joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fantasy Impact

Hooper, who the Titans picked up earlier this off-season, has been having a very nice preseason for the team. He is developing good chemistry with Ryan Tannehill, and he has proven to be a reliable target at practice. For fantasy purposes, he could find himself with late sleeper value, and he could be a very good pickup in best ball leagues.

Newly signed Tennessee Titans TE Austin Hooper has impressed QB Ryan Tannehill with his “savvy” route running during the team’s offseason program.

Fantasy Impact

Turron Davenport of ESPN.com noted that Hooper and Tannehill have “made the most of their time on the field together during OTAs and minicamp by getting extra reps in during down periods of practice.” Chemistry is key for the tight end position that Tannehill has thrown 24% of his passes and 25 of his 76 touchdowns to since becoming Tennessee’s starting quarterback in 2019. Hooper, a 2x Pro Bowler, is coming off of a down year that he spent with the Cleveland Browns, but could become a comfortable target for his QB whose top receiving options include Robert Woods, who is coming off of a torn ACL, and an unproven rookie in Treylon Burks. Hooper is currently being drafted at TE25, according to FantasyPros average draft position.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport reports that Tennessee Titans TE Austin Hooper “has already surfaced as one of Tannehill’s preferred options in the passing game.”

Fantasy Impact

Hooper, who will be entering his 7th NFL season in 2022, finished as a mid-range TE1 in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019 while with the Atlanta Falcons. However, he has struggled to stay fantasy relevant during his past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Hooper played in a TE committee while in Cleveland which is devastating for any TEs fantasy value, but he has an opportunity in Tennessee to be the team's primary TE with his competition for playing time being Geoff Swaim and rookie Chigoziem Okomkwo. All signs point towards Hooper seeing a heavy dose of targets in 2022 with A.J. Brown’s departure leaving a sizable load of vacated targets, rookie WR Treylon Burks being unable to practice with breathing issues, WR Robert Woods recovering from a torn ACL, and RB Derrick Henry’s lack of involvement in the passing game. All these factors make Hooper an appealing late-round TE sleeper.

Per Mike Garafolo, tight end Austin Hooper is signing a one-year, $6 million deal with the Titans.

Fantasy Impact

The Titans are a great landing spot for fantasy purposes for the two-time Pro-Bowl tight end. Hooper is now by far the best pass-catching tight end on the Titans roster. In 2021, Anthony Firkser lead the Titans' tight ends with only 291 yards. We already know Ryan Tannehill likes to target the tight end position since Jonnu Smith recorded 448 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020. Since 2016, Hooper is 10th out of all tight ends in receiving yards with 3,024.

Austin Hooper is going to be released by the Cleveland Browns as a post-June-1 designation.

Fantasy Impact

Hooper was underwhelming in his two-year tenure with the Browns but still should see some suitors when he hits the open market. At just 27, Hooper still could have some of his best years ahead of him if he lands on the right team. The move should free up plenty of opportunity for David Njoku who Cleveland franchise-tagged earlier this offseason.