RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Bench In Most Leagues
POSITIONAL VALUE: Low-End TE2
ANALYSIS: The Pat Freiermuth experience in Pittsburgh has been a roller coaster. He burst onto the scene with seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2021, eclipsed 700 yards on nearly 100 targets in 2022, and then delivered an epic dud in 2023.
Sure, Freiermuth missed some games last year. However, even if you extrapolate his stats onto a 17-game season, he still would have had career lows in targets, receptions, and yards.
More importantly, in the 12 games that Freiermuth played last year, he was a top-16 tight end just twice (PPR). He also finished outside the top 30 in half of his games.
Freiermuth was not dependable last year, and there isn't much evidence that he'll make a jump this season. The Steelers did part ways with Diontae Johnson, creating plenty of vacated targets, but they also brought in Roman Wilson and Van Jefferson to catch passes.
Me, an idiot: “Pat Freiermuth is going to crush it in Arthur Smith’s TE-friendly offense.”
Arthur Smith: “Freiermuth is actually in a committee with Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt.”
Data courtesy of @PFF_NateJahnke pic.twitter.com/poKu7z8BRe
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) August 25, 2024
Meanwhile, the Steelers signed Russell Wilson to play quarterback. The veteran failed to support a fantasy-relevant tight end in Denver; last year, Adam Trautman finished as the overall TE40 despite playing in all 17 games.
Freiermuth is very touchdown-dependent heading into 2024, which isn't great, considering he only found the end zone twice last year. Furthermore, the Steelers play against the Falcons in Week 1. Atlanta allowed the eighth-fewest touchdowns to tight ends in 2023, and their defense has only gotten better since then.
Managers should stay away from Freiermuth in all leagues with 16 teams or fewer. He's not a reliable option, especially at a position with significant depth.
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