Austin Hooper (TE, ATL) - 2019 Fantasy Football Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~90 Overall

Current ADP: ~110

I'll admit that Austin Hooper has never been a name that excited me, even after he finished as the PPR TE6 last season. That was aided by injuries to a lot of other tight ends, so it's not as impressive as it seems.

But Hooper's third NFL season did see increases in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. His catch rate's gone up in each of his seasons and he's on the field the majority of the time.

The Falcons offense and, in particular, quarterback Matt Ryan has basically topped all kinds of "who's going to have a huge season" lists, with a lot of smart people picking Matt Ryan to finish as the QB1. In order for that to happen, the Falcons passing offense will need to kick things into another gear, which should mean more production for Hooper, possible something in the 750-yard, five-touchdown range?

I would caution against Hooper in standard-scoring leagues because he didn't have a single 100-yard game last season, but in PPR, he's a much better play. He had at least three receptions in all but three games last season and had nine or more catches three times. Hooper's a good safety valve for Matt Ryan, someone that he can target over and over while reasonably expecting Hooper to bring in the vast majority of those targets.

While Hooper's overall finish this year isn't likely to be what it was last year unless we see another rash of tight end injuries, he's a solid and productive player who you can get later in your drafts than other top tight ends. That's a good value for a guy like Hooper.