Hooper's 2019 explosion in Atlanta set the stage for a record-setting contract from the Browns, establishing a top of the market for tight ends with a $10.5 million average annual value and $18.5 million guaranteed. While Hooper, who runs a 4.72 40, is no athletic match for the likes of George Kittle and Travis Kelce, he should be a useful target on short and intermediate passes for Baker Mayfield. The No. 1 overall pick is hoping to rebound from a sophomore slump, surrounded by a new coaching staff in an offense loaded with name-brand weapons. The 25-year-old Hooper will make the team better, but we can't ignore how his 2019 production largely occurred when the Falcons were in catch-up mode, often against defenses focused on mitigating Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. Hooper produced 62 percent of his yardage and five of his six TDs after halftime, and he averaged 79.6 yards and 9.9 YPT in seven losses, compared to 38.3 yards and 5.6 YPT in six wins (he also missed three games with an MCL sprain). Even amidst a breakout season, only two of Hooper's 75 receptions came on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. In Cleveland, the presence of Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and fellow tight end David Njoku will make it difficult for opponents to focus on Hooper, potentially helping his efficiency but also leaving him as a long shot to match last year's 7.5 targets per game. The question now is whether Hooper can do more with less. Read Past Outlooks

$Signed a four-year, $42 million contract with the Browns in March of 2020.

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.

The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. Learn more about this data The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.

This data will let you see how Austin Hooper and the other tight ends for the Browns are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.

The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

Improvement isn't always linear with fantasy commodities, but Hooper had steady improvement in Season 3, bumping his catch rate, receptions and touchdowns to career highs while tying for seventh in TE targets. The key to getting the plausible upside of Hooper is grasping when the Falcons use him. He was tied for third in inside-the-10 targets at the position, and only Travis Kelce had more looks inside the 5-yard line. Hooper also had a pair of two-point conversions (one in the playoffs); while they're only a deuce on the scoreboard, they could point to more touchdown upside in subsequent seasons. The Falcons certainly have a gaggle of imposing downfield weapons in their passing game, but perhaps Hooper will remain a primary option when space gets tight around the goal line. Add it all up and Hooper makes sense for fantasy owners who want to be budget-conscious at tight end without going completely into a punt formation.

Hooper had some things moving in the right direction last year - more games, more starts, more snaps and more targets. His YPC dropped almost four yards, despite a glorious 88-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Bears in Week 1. Hooper only scored twice the rest of the season and didn't have another reception longer than 24 yards or a game with more than 50 yards. After finishing with nine straight outings (including playoffs) catching three or fewer passes for no more than 38 yards, Hooper's case for a Year 3 breakout took a hit when the Falcons drafted WR Calvin Ridley in Round 1. The Falcons also didn't consider Hooper much in the playoffs, giving him just six targets in two games (4-18-0). That sounds like someone who should be forced to play his way onto our rosters in September, not someone we should proactively draft in August.

The Falcons brought Hooper along at a gradual pace during his rookie year as he only had three games with more than three targets. But there were occasional highlights -- an 84-yard spike at Oakland, a snappy touchdown at Tampa Bay on national television and a score in the Super Bowl. With Jacob Tamme not expected back, Hooper likely will enter Week 1 as the starter, or at least as the top pass catcher at TE. Stanford has produced a number of NFL starting tight ends in recent years, with Hooper another one to feel good about. He checks the pedigree box -- a third-round pick in 2016 -- and he doesn't turn 23 until late October. Atlanta's offense is built around matchups and spreading the ball around, but Hooper has plenty of room for growth in his second season. He belongs on everyone's potential-breakout list.

Hooper was selected by the Falcons in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and the team hopes he can help bolster a position that's been a point of weakness since Tony Gonzalez retired. He comes into a clustered-yet-unimpressive situation alongside Jacob Tamme and Levine Toilolo, who combined for just 66 receptions, 701 yards and one touchdown in 2015. The Falcons clearly have plans for Hooper if they were willing to take a chance on him in the third round, but it seems like they'll roll with Tamme at the beginning of the season. Toilolo is more of a blocking tight end, so Hooper could see some work in clear passing situations should they opt for some double-tight end sets.