Freiermuth is a start-worthy Fantasy option you can snag in the late rounds. Incredibly, he finished last year as a top-12 PPR option on a per-game basis despite producing two touchdowns. That's thanks to Freiermuth winding up ranked sixth in targets per game among tight ends with 6.13. That number might actually increase this season as reports surfaced that the Steelers may try using Freiermuth more as a big slot receiver, not as a traditional tight end. Last year, Freiermuth averaged 2.28 yards per route run when lined up in the slot, a sensational total that was only second to Travis Kelce. If his role evolves into a more receiver-friendly one, his targets will top 100 and his touchdown production will rebound to perhaps the seven he posted as a rookie. That gives Freiermuth a good chance to be a top-10 Fantasy tight end, making him worthy of a pick around 100th overall.
Freiermuth brought in three of seven targets for 18 yards and also recorded a two-point conversion catch in the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night.
Freiermuth was one of the statistical victims of Mitch Trubisky's struggles with efficiency Thursday, finishing with his fifth sub-20-yard tally of the campaign in the process. The third-year tight end did manage to boost his overall fantasy production to a modest degree with his two-point conversion reception following the Steelers' final touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter. However, he remains very hard to trust due to Pittsburgh's quarterback issues heading into a Week 15 road matchup against the Colts on Saturday, Dec. 16.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: TEs to Sit
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Freiermuth was great in Week 12 at Cincinnati with nine catches for 120 yards on 11 targets, but he regressed in Week 13 against Arizona with three catches for 29 yards on five targets. I'm afraid the matchup against the Bengals, and not the change in offense after Matt Canada was fired as the coordinator, was the reason for Freiermuth's big game in Week 12. This week, Freiermuth faces a Patriots defense that's No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and Mitch Trubisky is starting for the injured Kenny Pickett (ankle). Freiermuth is only worth starting in deeper leagues.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Regresses in loss
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Freiermuth caught three of five targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals.
Freiermuth came back down to earth after posting his first career 100-yard performance against the Bengals in the previous game. Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett hurt his ankle in the first half against Arizona, and Freiermuth couldn't get on the same page with backup Mitch Trubisky. With Pickett expected to remain sidelined Thursday against New England, Freiermuth will likely have Trubisky throwing to him again Week 14.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: TEs to Start
Rotowire
I'm hoping that Freiermuth's big game against the Bengals in Week 12 was a combination of his matchup against the Bengals and the removal of offensive coordinator Matt Canada and not just that Cincinnati is awful against tight ends. Freiermuth had nine catches for 120 yards on 11 targets, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come in Pittsburgh's new offense. Now, he faces a tougher test against the Cardinals in Week 13 since Arizona is No. 9 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to tight ends. But the Cardinals have allowed four tight ends to score touchdowns in the past five games (Mark Andrews in Week 8, David Njoku in Week 9, Dalton Schultz in Week 11 and Tyler Higbee twice in Week 12), and hopefully Freiermuth can find the end zone for the first time since Week 3. He's worth trusting as a top-10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Week 13 Streamers (TE Preview)
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Freiermuth is the top add at any position if Zack Moss is already rostered in your league. He's proven his ability in the red zone and as a target earner. He'll be a top-10 tight end rest of season.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Week 13 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Bye Matt Canada, hello Freiermuth. In the first game after Canada was fired as offensive coordinator, Freiermuth had a monster outing at Cincinnati with nine catches for 120 yards on 11 targets, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come. Now, he took advantage of a great matchup since the Bengals were No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and he faces a tougher test against the Cardinals in Week 13. Arizona is No. 9 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to tight ends, but I still want Freiermuth on my team if he's going to be this involved. He could be a difference maker to close the season, and you should add him for 10-15 percent of your FAB.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Career-best performance
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Freiermuth recorded nine receptions on 11 targets for 120 yards in Sunday's 16-10 win over the Bengals.
George Pickens was the expected beneficiary of the Steelers' change in offensive coordinator, but Freiermuth was the most productive pass catcher for the team. He tallied the first 100-yard game of his career thanks to long catches of 29, 24 and 16 yards. It was a notable development for Freiermuth, as Pittsburgh has struggled to complete passes over the middle of the field this season. He had double-digit receiving yards in a game just once entering Sunday's contest.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Sleeper TEs
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I'm hopeful that with Matt Canada fired as the offensive coordinator for the Steelers that the passing game improves in Pittsburgh with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan now calling plays. It could be good for Freiermuth in Week 12 at Cincinnati since the Bengals are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Freiermuth returned to action in Week 11 against the Browns after missing the previous five games with a hamstring injury and only had one catch for 7 yards on one target. However, he did score two touchdowns in his first three games of the season, and he has two touchdowns in four career games against the Bengals. And for the season, Cincinnati has allowed eight tight ends to score at least 8.5 PPR points, including four touchdowns.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Week 12 Streamers (TE Preview)
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Like Likely, Freiermuth did nothing to make you feel like rostering him last week. But Freiermuth's past is even more of a reason to give him a shot. So is his matchup. The Bengals have allowed the third most targets and yards to the position this season.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: No impact in return
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Freiermuth recorded one reception on one target for seven yards in Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Browns.
Freiermuth was activated from injured reserve prior to Sunday's game and took the field for the first time since Week 4. The entire Pittsburgh offense was muted, and his results were no different. Prior to going down with the injury, Freiermuth had inconsistent usage but never saw more than four targets in a game. Given the current state of the Steelers' offense, it's difficult to project consistent volume for him moving forward.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Making return Week 11
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Freiermuth (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the Browns, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Freiermuth is back in action Week 11 after he missed the Steelers' last five games with a hamstring injury. Before being reinstated from injured reserve Saturday, Freiermuth turned in full practices Thursday and Friday, so he's unlikely to face any major restrictions as he steps back into the lineup as the Steelers' top tight end. Freiermuth supplied an 8-53-2 receiving line on 13 targets in his first four appearances of the season before missing time with the hamstring issue.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Comes off IR
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The Steelers activated Freiermuth (hamstring) from injured reserve Saturday.
Freiermuth now appears on track for Sunday's game against the Browns, but official word on his status may have to wait until 90 minutes before the game's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. The starting tight end hasn't played since Week 4 due to a hamstring issue, and his return could provide a notable boost for Pittsburgh's passing game. Though Freiermuth is averaging only 13.3 yards per game this season, he has scored twice across four appearances.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Listed as questionable
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Freiermuth (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Freiermuth is on track to play after closing out the week with back-to-back full practices, but we won't know for sure until the Steelers activate him from injured reserve (or not). The deadline is 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, and quotes from the tight end dating back to last week suggest he expects to return from a four-game absence for Sunday's AFC North matchup. Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington split TE snaps for Pittsburgh the past four weeks, combining for 14 catches and 108 yards without scoring any touchdowns. A healthy Freiermuth should be a big upgrade for the passing game, even if he doesn't take on an every-down role his first week back.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Turns in full practice
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Freiermuth (hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Freiermuth's reps were capped Wednesday in what was his first practice session since Week 4, but his ability to take every rep a day later seemingly has him trending toward making his return to the lineup Sunday at Cleveland. For his part, Freiermuth said that he's felt "amazing" during his first two practices this week, but the Steelers' coaching and training staff will continue to monitor him before deciding on his status for the Week 11 game. If available this weekend, Freiermuth should reclaim duties as the Steelers' top tight end from Connor Heyward, who has cobbled together a 15-118-0 receiving line on 20 targets during Freiermuth's five-game absence.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: TEs to Sit
Rotowire
Freiermuth is expected to return in Week 11 at Cleveland after being out for the past five games with a hamstring injury. That's good news, but I don't want to start him in his first game back against the Browns. This is a tough matchup, and Freiermuth only had one catch for 2 yards on one target against Cleveland in Week 2. The Browns are also No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and only one tight end has scored a touchdown against Cleveland this season.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Limited in return to practice
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Freiermuth (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
The Steelers designated Freiermuth to return from injured reserve earlier Wednesday after he missed five games due to a hamstring injury. Though Pittsburgh will still have to activate Freiermuth from IR before he's eligible to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported earlier Wednesday that the tight end is "tracking" to suit up in the Steelers' matchup with the Browns this weekend. The Steelers will likely wait and see how Freiermuth fares in practices Thursday and Friday before deciding on his status for Sunday's contest.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Nearing return, could play Week 11
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Freiermuth (hamstring) plans to resume practicing next week and hopes to be ready to play when first eligible to return from injured reserve Nov. 19 at Cleveland, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Freiermuth has been dealing with a hamstring injury since Week 4 and was placed on IR before Week 7. He'll miss a fourth straight game when the Steelers host the Packers this Sunday, but after that he's eligible to return and apparently has a realistic chance to do so. He worked out to the side Wednesday while his teammates practiced, telling reporters afterward that he didn't want to "jinx" anything by being too optimistic or hopeful about his health. Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington have been filling in at tight end, with Heyward running the most routes but losing a bit more playing time to the rookie of late.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Put on IR
Rotowire
Freiermuth (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
The big tight end evidently suffered some sort of setback after practicing fully Wednesday following the team's Week 5 bye, logging a LP and DNP sequence in the ensuing days. In Freiermuth's lone absence during Week 4, rookie third-round pick Darnell Washington saw a significant rise in snaps, but it was Connor Heyward who ultimately saw significantly more targets.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Not expected to play Sunday
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Freiermuth (hamstring) is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Rams, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Per Pelissero, Freiermuth aggravated his hamstring injury during practice Thursday, and now it looks like he'll be sidelined Sunday and possibly beyond. Official confirmation of Freiermuth's Week 7 status will arrive later Friday, but if he is ruled out, fellow TE Darnell Washington would continue to see added work in the Steelers offense.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Listed as limited Thursday
Rotowire
Freiermuth (hamstring) was limited at Thursday's practice.
Freiermuth worked fully Wednesday in the Steelers' first practice after a bye week, so his limited participation Thursday is notable. It remains to be seen if the listing is indicative of load management or a setback, and added context on that front will arrive no later than Friday, when the team's final injury report for Sunday's game against the Rams is posted.
