TE · ATL · GWTTKB

Austin Hooper — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 4.56 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 304, usage worth 3.7.

31 years old · 10 seasons of experience · 2016 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 304
Consensus across 2 books, standard deviation 189.5, 268 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on sleeper, priciest on espn.
SLEEPER438
ESPN170
FFA403

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 26, pick 4 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankTE101
ADP standard deviation189.5 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 33.9 points, 2.2 per game — 13.3 catches, 146 yards, 1 TDs. That is TE5, 317 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 1.8 points per game to a ceiling of 4.3, with the median at 2.2. Boom rate 94%, bust rate 18%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 304 on consensus and our board has him 317. We rank him 13 picks worse than the room drafts him. At that distance it is a fade: we do not want him anywhere near his ADP.

The offense he plays in, 2026

Atlanta Falcons returns 4 of 6 continuity slots, replacing hc, oc. Michael Penix Jr at quarterback, Kevin Stefanski as head coach, Tommy Rees calling it. The offense projects to 32.8 pass attempts a game at medium confidence and 27.2 rushes.

In: Tua Tagovailoa (qb2), Olamide Zaccheaus (wr2), Zachariah Branch (wr3), Jahan Dotson (wr4), Brian Robinson Jr (rb2), Tyler Goodson (rb3), Carter Nathan (rb4), Austin Hooper (te2). Out: Kirk Cousins (qb2), Darnell Mooney (wr2), David Sills V (wr4), Ray-Ray McCloud III (wr5), Dylan Drummond (wr6), Khadarel Hodge (wr7), Tyler Allgeier (rb2), Nathan Carter (rb3), Charlie Woerner (te2).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 10.3%, with a bear case of 6% and a bull case of 12.1% and a full range of 3.5% to 14.5%. That comes from 16 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Drake London24.2%
Kyle Pitts16.9%
Bijan Robinson14.5%
Austin Hooper 10.3%
Zachariah Branch8.4%
Olamide Zaccheaus7.4%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: Bijan Robinson has been able to produce redardless of poor QB play in ATL. Drake London has had flashes & the talent is clearly there, but needs better QB play. Perhaps Penix Jr fully recovers from 2nd ACL tear & proves he is the franchise QB. OR there is a SMALL chance Tua turns his career around and can elevate this offense. Unlikely. Despite what most fans think, the falcons have not committed to a starting QB, there is a decent chance their franchise QB is neither Penix or Tua.

Key additions: Tua Tagovailoa signed on 1 year veteran minumum deal. WR Jahan Dotson 2 year $15M deal. TE Austin Hooper 1 year deal to back up Pitts. WR Olamide Zaccheaus returns to ATL. OL Jawaan Taylor signed 1 year deal. Zachariah Branch WR Georgia 3rd Round draft pick.

Key departures: Drew Dalman (starting Center) left to Chicago Bears & RT Kaleb McGary retired aftr missing entire 2025 season. Elijah Wilkinson Starting RT left in free agency. Kirk Cousins left to Las Vegas. Tyler Allgeier left to Arizona. WR Darnell Mooney released after regression & heads to NY Giants.

Notes: Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa after release from Dolphins. Penix may be ready week 1 but possible he is no longer the starter. This will be determined in camp. New HC: Kevin Stefanski from Browns. Tommy Rees is new OC. Followed Stefanski from Cleveland. Bijan & London are core offensive players. Pitts wants long term exension, but was franchise tagged (could be traded). Branch round 3 Georgia WR adds speed & could produce early. Brian Robinson Jr is a valuable handcuff for Bijan Robinson but shouldn't have stand alone value. London clear WR1, Zaccheaus returns in free agency. Jahan Dotson (former 1st round pick) added in free agency. Zachariah Branch could see large volume as a rookie if develops quickly. QB play may still hold team back. Olamide Zaccheaus is a player that should be rostered in all leagues as a real sleeper. Highly productive player in Chicago that COULD pop early if Branch is a slow bloomer & Dotson is a nothing burger.

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Michael Penix Jr returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (32.1 att/g); Regressed 53% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 32.8 att/g; New OC Tommy Rees — pass rate and tempo may shift; New HC Kevin Stefanski.

How that share projection was built

16 historical comps for TEs age ~31, prior share 8.7%, team change, OC change. Distribution: median 14.8%, p25-p75 [6.3%, 18.6%], tails [1.2%, 23.4%]. Closest comps: Ryan Griffin 2021→2022 (NYJ→CHI: 10.5%→6.3%); Kyle Rudolph 2021→2022 (NYG→TB: 10.3%→2.4%); Austin Hooper 2024→2025 (NE: 10.8%→7.2%).

arrival self-anchored 41% to own 8.7% role (3yr)

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: ATL rates 21.5 against a league average of 23, 1.5 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season+1 · neutral
Weeks 1–6+2.1 · easier
Weeks 12–17-1.4 · neutral
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)+5.6 · easier

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20202Harrison Bryant+9

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +3.4% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 1.3 elite seasons and 2.3 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Gerald Everett20241.253%-21.9%
Mike Gesicki20248.852%-15.8%
Dawson Knox20244.252%+13.1%
Durham Smythe2024151%+26.5%
Hayden Hurst20242.249%-39.9%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 2 gained value, 3 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,000202120222023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2020-04 to 2026-07. Down 86% across the series, peaking at 3,930.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2016, round 3, pick 81 by ATL
CollegeStanford
Age at draft21
Height6′4″
Weight254 lb
40-yard dash4.72s
Vertical33″
Broad jump117″
3-cone7s
Shuttle4.32s

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game6
Week-to-week variation0.7
Boom rate12.3%
Bust rate24.7%
Games missed per season0.5
Injury historyConcussion
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score-0.04

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · NE · 13 games

His best game was Week 7 against TEN — 9.1 PPR on 2 targets and a 8.3% target share, in a game that finished 31-13. His worst was Week 10 against TB at 0, on 1 targets, final score 28-23. Across 13 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 11 times. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 3.8; in the 5 decided by more, 5.8. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 3.7 points per game. He scored 4.56, 8% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1LV13-202111002.2%32%
2MIA33-276.83338013%62%
3PIT14-214.8232808.3%65%
4CAR42-133.4112405.9%65%
6NO25-191.511504.2%64%
7TEN31-139.1221118.3%51%
8CLE32-135.8223808.7%57%
9ATL24-233112003.6%53%
10TB28-23001003.4%56%
12CIN26-206.93439012.1%56%
16BAL28-245.4243409.5%31%
17NYJ42-109.1221118%41%
18MIA38-101.511505%41%

Production

Receptions21
Targets26
Receiving yards263
Touchdowns2
Points per game4.56
Yards per target10.12
Catch rate80.77%

Role

Snap share51.85%
Target share7.09%
Air-yards share6.9%
WOPR0.154
RACR1.188

Efficiency

Average depth of target8.9
Yards after catch per reception4.1
Yards before catch per reception8.4
Total YAC86
Broken tackles0
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted134.5
Receiving EPA per game1.29

Scoring position

Red-zone targets5
Red-zone target share7%
End-zone target share7.1%
Expected receiving TDs1.81
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck0.19

Who else ate

The offense threw it 502 times. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Stefon Diggs21.29%
Hunter Henry18.16%
Mack Hollins13.57%
Kayshon Boutte9.6%
Demario Douglas9.6%
TreVeyon Henderson8.77%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 13 games were blowouts, 48.7% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 5.78 in those and 3.8 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2024 · NE · 17 games

His best game was Week 12 against MIA — 15.9 PPR on 4 targets and a 10.8% target share, in a game that finished 15-34. His worst was Week 6 against HOU at -0.5, on 2 targets, final score 21-41. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 12 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 5.9; in the 8 decided by more, 7. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 6.1 points per game. He scored 6.39, 4% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1CIN16-105.12431017.4%55%
2SEA20-231.511504.2%54%
3NYJ3-242.91419016.7%58%
4SF13-309.3221316.3%59%
5MIA10-151.9139010%42%
6HOU21-41-0.512506.5%56%
7JAX16-327.24532013.9%38%
8NYJ25-224.53415013.8%48%
9TEN17-201.811802.6%39%
10CHI19-39.43464017.4%64%
11LA22-287.54435010.8%51%
12MIA15-3415.94459110.8%38%
13IND24-2514.24442113.3%50%
15ARI17-306.83338013%61%
16BUF21-249.54555016.1%68%
17LAC7-404.93319013%45%
18BUF23-166.74627021.4%67%

Production

Receptions45
Targets59
Receiving yards476
Touchdowns3
Points per game6.39
Yards per target8.07
Catch rate76.27%

Role

Snap share52.53%
Target share12.19%
Air-yards share10.22%
WOPR0.255
RACR1.589

Efficiency

Average depth of target5.8
Yards after catch per reception5
Yards before catch per reception5.6
Total YAC225
Broken tackles3
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted102.1
Receiving EPA per game0.75

Scoring position

Red-zone targets9
Red-zone target share14.5%
End-zone target share12%
Expected receiving TDs1.6
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck0.4

Who else ate

The offense threw it 529 times. He took 11.85% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Hunter Henry19.48%
Demario Douglas17.47%
Kayshon Boutte13.65%
Austin Hooper 11.85%
Rhamondre Stevenson8.23%
Kendrick Bourne7.63%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Drake Maye10357.6710.211.74%
Jacoby Brissett6184.25.1111.4%
Joe Milton166.74.521.4%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 17 games were blowouts, 29.9% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6.5 in those and 5.86 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · LV · 16 games

His best game was Week 18 against DEN — 7.9 PPR on 5 targets and a 18.5% target share, in a game that finished 27-14. His worst was Week 15 against LAC at 0, on 1 targets, final score 63-21. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 16 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 2.7; in the 7 decided by more, 3.4. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 3.4 points per game. He scored 3.02, 9.7% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1DEN17-163112003.8%53%
2BUF10-384222008.7%43%
4LAC17-242.1121105.3%51%
5GB17-133.1221106.9%56%
6NE21-173.9221906.5%34%
7CHI12-303.8221804.4%34%
8DET14-263.9221909.5%22%
9NYG30-62111004.2%48%
10NYJ16-121.711704%42%
11MIA13-20001002.6%48%
12KC17-312.4121406.3%41%
14MIN0-31.511503.4%37%
15LAC63-21001002.9%41%
16KC20-143.32313015.8%89%
17IND20-235.8332806.5%85%
18DEN27-147.94539018.5%86%

Production

Receptions25
Targets31
Receiving yards234
Touchdowns0
Points per game3.02
Yards per target7.55
Catch rate80.65%

Role

Snap share50.63%
Target share6.83%
Air-yards share3.65%
WOPR0.129
RACR2.341

Efficiency

Average depth of target4.2
Yards after catch per reception5.7
Yards before catch per reception3.7
Total YAC142
Broken tackles2
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted98.1
Receiving EPA per game0.65

Scoring position

Red-zone targets3
Red-zone target share3.8%
End-zone target share0%
Expected receiving TDs0.55
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-0.55

Who else ate

The offense threw it 557 times. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Davante Adams32.96%
Jakobi Meyers19.96%
Josh Jacobs10.17%
Michael Mayer7.53%
Hunter Renfrow6.97%
Tre Tucker6.4%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Aidan O'Connell10202.676.356.95%
Jimmy Garoppolo593.589.897.08%
Brian Hoyer123.894.4%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 16 games were blowouts, 20.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 2.45 in those and 2.71 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2022 · TEN · 17 games

His best game was Week 11 against GB — 19.6 PPR on 4 targets and a 14.8% target share, in a game that finished 27-17. His worst was Week 4 against IND at 1.4, on 1 targets, final score 24-17. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 13 times. In the 11 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 4.3; in the 6 decided by more, 8.3. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 6.2 points per game. He scored 5.73, 7.2% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1NYG20-211.612606.5%62%
2BUF7-412.91519021.7%50%
3LV24-223.9221907.7%41%
4IND24-171.411404.8%37%
5WAS21-171.711704.3%53%
7IND19-108.63356015%44%
8HOU17-101.5115012.5%47%
9KC17-205.42334023.1%61%
10DEN17-109.15741019.4%61%
11GB27-1719.64436214.8%45%
12CIN16-2063430011.8%67%
13PHI10-355.23522020%49%
14JAX22-3611.85568013.2%54%
15LAC14-175.32433015.4%48%
16HOU14-1942320015%49%
17DAL13-271.6166015.8%49%
18JAX16-207.84438014.8%45%

Production

Receptions41
Targets60
Receiving yards444
Touchdowns2
Points per game5.73
Yards per target7.4
Catch rate68.33%

Role

Snap share50.71%
Target share13.87%
Air-yards share13.95%
WOPR0.306
RACR1.26

Efficiency

Average depth of target7.8
Yards after catch per reception3.3
Yards before catch per reception7.6
Total YAC134
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted101
Receiving EPA per game1.54

Scoring position

Red-zone targets7
Red-zone target share11.9%
End-zone target share17.6%
Expected receiving TDs1.39
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck0.61

Who else ate

The offense threw it 456 times. He took 13.76% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Robert Woods20.87%
Austin Hooper 13.76%
Treylon Burks12.39%
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine11.47%
Chigoziem Okonkwo10.55%
Derrick Henry9.4%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Ryan Tannehill12436.437.9312.88%
Malik Willis373.638.4316.87%
Joshua Dobbs2104.74.415.3%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 17 games were blowouts, 8.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 4.05 in those and 4.34 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2021 · CLE · 15 games

His best game was Week 14 against BAL — 14 PPR on 6 targets and a 19.4% target share, in a game that finished 24-22. His worst was Week 12 against BAL at 0, on 3 targets, final score 10-16. Across 15 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 10 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 5.7; in the 6 decided by more, 6.8. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 7.1 points per game. He scored 6.17, 13.1% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1KC29-335.73327011.1%64%
2HOU31-2195540023.8%69%
3CHI26-69.92319110.3%60%
4MIN14-72.11511016.1%72%
5LAC42-47200000%72%
6ARI14-371.413409.7%75%
7DEN17-146.2234209.4%65%
8PIT10-156.64626019.4%64%
9CIN41-163.42214010.5%73%
10NE7-4512.54525116.1%63%
11DET13-109.34753025%65%
12BAL10-16003008.8%90%
14BAL24-22145630119.4%100%
16GB22-245.63526013.9%54%
17PIT14-264.82528013.9%49%

Production

Receptions38
Targets61
Receiving yards345
Touchdowns3
Points per game6.17
Yards per target5.66
Catch rate62.3%

Role

Snap share69%
Target share13.83%
Air-yards share8.39%
WOPR0.267
RACR1.857

Efficiency

Average depth of target5.4
Yards after catch per reception4.9
Yards before catch per reception4.2
Total YAC185
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted87.1
Receiving EPA per game1.33

Scoring position

Red-zone targets12
Red-zone target share20.3%
End-zone target share16%
Expected receiving TDs2.99
Actual receiving TDs3
Receiving TD luck0.01

Who else ate

The offense threw it 520 times. He took 12.37% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Jarvis Landry17.65%
Austin Hooper 12.37%
Donovan Peoples-Jones11.76%
David Njoku10.75%
Rashard Higgins9.53%
Odell Beckham6.9%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Baker Mayfield14586.165.2214.14%
Case Keenum136.2149.4%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 15 games were blowouts, 29.4% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6.8 in those and 5.72 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2020 · CLE · 13 games

His best game was Week 15 against NYG — 15.1 PPR on 6 targets and a 20% target share, in a game that finished 20-6. His worst was Week 10 against HOU at 2.1, on 2 targets, final score 10-7. Across 13 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 6 times. In the 7 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 7.7; in the 6 decided by more, 9.9. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 9.9 points per game. He scored 8.73, 9.3% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1BAL6-383.5221505.7%77%
2CIN35-304.22422019%98%
3WAS34-205.53425018.2%86%
4DAL49-3814.45734126.9%83%
5IND32-2310.751057026.3%79%
6PIT7-3810.25652023.1%70%
10HOU10-72.11211010.5%85%
11PHI22-176.33533027.8%67%
12JAX27-259.3221317.4%70%
13TEN41-354.4222406.3%74%
15NYG20-615.15641120%70%
16NYJ16-2314.171571030%73%
17PIT24-2213.74537119.2%82%

Production

Receptions46
Targets70
Receiving yards435
Touchdowns4
Points per game8.73
Yards per target6.21
Catch rate65.71%

Role

Snap share78%
Target share18.49%
Air-yards share12.38%
WOPR0.364
RACR1.565

Efficiency

Average depth of target6.4
Yards after catch per reception3.8
Yards before catch per reception5.7
Total YAC174
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted95.8
Receiving EPA per game1.73

Scoring position

Red-zone targets14
Red-zone target share17.5%
End-zone target share23.7%
Expected receiving TDs4.69
Actual receiving TDs5
Receiving TD luck0.31

Who else ate

The offense threw it 501 times. He took 15.22% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Jarvis Landry21.96%
Austin Hooper 15.22%
Rashard Higgins11.3%
Kareem Hunt11.09%
Odell Beckham9.35%
Harrison Bryant8.26%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 13 games were blowouts, 12.1% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6.85 in those and 7.73 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

Ask the Coach about Austin Hooper →
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