Austin Hooper · Gunnar Helm · 2026 week 8

Austin Hooper or Gunnar Helm?

Wondering who you should start this week — Austin Hooper or Gunnar Helm? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Gunnar HelmGunnar Helm projects 2.3 PPR points clear of Austin Hooper in week 8, drawing CIN — the 14th-ranked matchup for TEs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Austin Hooper	@ TB	3.3	9th	2.5	–	healthy
Gunnar Helm START	@ CIN	5.6	14th	4.1	–	healthy

TEs vs TB recently: Jake Ferguson 1.9 pts (W5) · Darnell Washington 8.5 pts (W6) · Darren Waller 11 pts (W7).

TEs vs CIN recently: Brenton Strange 9.5 pts (W4) · Greg Dulcich 5.7 pts (W5) · Josh Cuevas 3.5 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

Gunnar Helm projects 2.3 points higher in PPR.
Austin Hooper faces TB, 9th most generous to TEs.
Gunnar Helm faces CIN, 14th most generous to TEs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Their trade values are effectively even — a one-for-one is a fair swap on the numbers.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

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All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.