Tennessee Titans veteran tight end Austin Hooper will be primed with an opportunity to "feast" this Sunday against the New York Giants.

ESPN insider Dan Graziano recently published an article alongside senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler that applied their inside knowledge to predict outcomes across the league for week one of the NFL season.

The article features a segment on the "fantasy football call of the week" in which Graziano picks Hooper as a likely tight end candidate to have a big performance in week one, saying he should "feast" on the Giants defense. Here's what Graziano had to say:

"I kind of like Austin Hooper this week against the Giants. Someone has to catch the ball for the Titans, and with Robert Woods working his way back from injury and Treylon Burks still getting acclimated to the NFL, Hooper should be able to feast on that Giants' defense."

Graziano makes a strong argument.

Robert Woods has been running full speed for quite some time, but outside of one possession against the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason finale, Woods hasn't gotten much work against live contact yet. There's reason to believe it may take him a few weeks to get back to his usual form and establish chemistry with Ryan Tannehill.

Treylon Burks has been through a roller coaster offseason, and while his development seems to be trending in the right direction, it wouldn't surprise me if Burks deals with a few "welcome to the NFL" moments in week one.

Hooper could very well wind up being the focal point of the Titans passing offense this week. The Titans and Tannehill traditionally love throwing the ball to their tight ends (106 targets went towards Titans tight ends in 2021), and Hooper should be the main benefactor of that early on.

And if that isn't enough to convince you, the lackluster New York Giants defense is the icing on the cake.

The Opponent 

Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale is new to the organization, but not new to NFL success. Martindale was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2018-2021 before joining Brian Daboll and the new staff in New York.

Over his four season in Baltimore, the Ravens defense allowed just 19.4 points per game. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, the Ravens defense ranked top three in the NFL in that category.

The one thing Martinelli failed to do with the Ravens, though, was cover tight ends.

Per Sports Info Solutions, Baltimore allowed the second most completions (105), third most yards (1125) and sixth most touchdowns (8) to tight ends 2021. They were mid-pack in EPA allowed/play (0.11) and mid-pack in positive play rate (51.5%).

That also came with elite ILB's Patrick Queen and Josh Bynes at Martindale's disposal. The Giants defense lacks any personnel with that level of talent.

Austin Calitro is replacement level at best, and while Tae Crowder has made a name for himself against the run, he's been awful in coverage in his first two NFL seasons.

With a defensive coordinator that has struggled to scheme against tight ends and a linebacker core that is flawed in coverage, Hooper should be able to have whatever he wants for the Titans on Sunday.

The chips are aligning for a big day from Hooper in his first game in two-tone blue.

Image via George Walker IV-USA TODAY Sports