PatFreiermuth

News: 3 days agoFreiermuth caught both of his targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 27-6 win over the Browns. He added one rushing attempt for a one-yard touchdown.

Spin: With time expiring in the second quarter, Freiermuth took a direct snap and punched in a one-yard rushing score to put the Steelers up 20-6 headed into halftime. The tight end entered the season with zero career carries but now has four through eight games, turning them into five yards and a touchdown. As a receiver, Freiermuth has been held to exactly two catches in each of the last three games and has yet to hit 50 yards in any game this season. He's a touchdown-or-bust fantasy bet with the Steelers headed into their bye week.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Freiermuth's career trajectory has been quite the head-scratcher, but the bottom line is he is yet to emerge as a consistent fantasy starter. The 2021 second-round pick flirted with TE1 status in both 2022 (11th in fantasy PPG) and 2024 (14th) but saw a dramatic dip in usage in Pittsburgh's crowded tight end room in 2025. Freiermuth posted a career-low 10% target share and finished outside the top 20 at the position in snaps, routes, targets, catches, yards and end zone targets, and 30 tight ends bested his 6.7 fantasy PPG. The 27-year-old figures to play more in 2026 with Jonnu Smith gone and Mike McCarthy running the offense, but Pittsburgh is also better at wide receiver with Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard in the fold. Freiermuth has some sleeper appeal, but he's best valued as a back-end TE2.