PatFreiermuth

News: 7 hours agoFreiermuth caught his only target for two yards in Thursday's 28-9 preseason win over the Packers.

Spin: QB Aaron Rodgers wasn't under center in the Steelers' exhibition opener, while the team's top two wideouts DK Metcalf (undisclosed) and Michael Pittman (leg) were sidelined, but top tight ends Freiermuth and Darnell Washington both made cameos in the contest. Freiermuth's lone catch came just short of the goal line, as Mason Rudolph found him on a 4th-and-3 early in the second quarter. The 27-year-old saw his receiving numbers decline in 2025, and while significant competition for targets went out the door this offseason in Jonnu Smith and Kenneth Gainwell, the addition of Pittman as a possession receiver could put a ceiling on how much Freiermuth is able to bounce back.

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.