Fant
TE · NO vs ATL
QuestionableProj pts
6.9pts
market
Hooper
TE · ATL vs NO
Proj pts
5.6pts
market
Austin Hooper or Noah Fant: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Noah Fant. Bench Austin Hooper. Noah Fant leads at 6.9. Austin Hooper is the first one out, 1.3 short.
Crowd: 35% of managers started Fant.
Availability & news
Noah FantQuestionable
Fant was limited in practice Thursday due to an abdominal injury.(rotowire, Oct 1, 2026)
Highlights
Pros
- Spike upside14.8 ceiling
Cons
- Low TE usage9% target share
- Thin volume3.2 targets/g
Cons
- Low TE usage7% target share
- Thin volume2.0 targets/g
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 29 Sep, 6:00 AM ET
The widest gap between them, in proportion, is boom rate: Fant 27%, Hooper 15%.
Fant (Questionable): “Fant was limited in practice Thursday due to an abdominal injury.” — RotoWire, Oct 1, 2026.
Why Noah Fant
Start Noah Fant — projects 6.9, a tough matchup vs ATL, with a rising role.
Noah Fant projects 6.9 points on a 1.6–14.8 range. The matchup grades as tough against ATL. Usage: targets / game at 3.2. Net: start Noah Fant this week.
Working for Fant: Spike upside (14.8 ceiling).
Working against Fant: Low TE usage (9% target share), Thin volume (3.2 targets/g).
Where Fant leads the head-to-head: Projection (6.9 vs 5.6); Ceiling (14.8 vs 7.5); Target share (9% vs 7%); Implied team total (25.8 vs 22.8); Last 3 avg (10.9 vs 6.5); Last 5 avg (10.9 vs 6.5); vs season (+6.2 vs +1.2); Boom rate (27% vs 15%); Targets / game (3.2 vs 2.0); Touchdown dependence (24% vs 20%).
Why Austin Hooper
Sit Austin Hooper — projects 5.6, an even matchup vs NO.
Austin Hooper projects 5.6 points on a 3.2–7.5 range. The matchup grades as neutral against NO. Usage: targets / game at 2.0. Net: bench Austin Hooper this week.
Working against Hooper: Low TE usage (7% target share), Thin volume (2.0 targets/g).
Where Hooper leads the head-to-head: Floor (3.2 vs 1.6); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (C vs D-); Consistency (41% vs 40%); Bust rate (23% vs 27%); Snap share (52% vs 40%); Red zone targets (5 vs 4).
Recent form
Noah Fant's last 3 games: PPR points 0, 13.3, 19.3 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).
Austin Hooper's last 2 games: PPR points 4, 9.1 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).
Fant has already beaten Hooper's 5.6 projection in 2 of his 3; Hooper has beaten Fant's 6.9 in 1 of his 2.
Matchup
Noah Fant (NO) faces ATL, kickoff Mon, Oct 5, 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 25.8, spread -3.0.
Austin Hooper (ATL) faces NO, kickoff Mon, Oct 5, 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated neutral. Betting line: implied team total 22.8, spread +3.0.
What flips it
Fant's edge is 1.3 points (6.9 to 5.6). Hooper's ceiling (7.5) clears Fant's projection, so a big game from Hooper flips it. Fant's floor (1.6) sits under Hooper's projection, so a quiet game from Fant flips it too. Confidence in the call: moderate.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.
This week's toughest calls
- Colston Loveland or Hunter Henry11.3 · 11.2
- Juwan Johnson or Tucker Kraft12.3 · 12.2
- AJ Barner or Hunter Henry11.2 · 11.2
- Isaiah Likely or Tucker Kraft12.2 · 12.2
- Brenton Strange or Colston Loveland11.4 · 11.3
- AJ Barner or Colston Loveland11.2 · 11.3
- More TE start/sit calls (tight ends this week)