Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Pat Freiermuth

Wednesday, April 15, 5:32 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth finished his second season as the TE8 and was widely viewed as a top five dynasty player at the position. In the years since, injuries and inconsistent play from both him and his quarterbacks have led him to finish as the TE24 or lower in two of his last three seasons. His 5.7 Half-PPR points per game in 2025 marked a career-low on a Steelers team with scarcely any target competition. Only two wide receivers on the team saw more than 25 targets, creating an environment for tight ends and running backs to thrive in the passing game, but most of the heavy lifting was done by Kenneth Gainwell, while the distribution of looks among tight ends was split nearly evenly between Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington. Neither Gainwell nor Smith are back with the team in 2026, but the Steelers did acquire Michael Pittman Jr. via trade, and he has not earned fewer than 106 targets since 2020. The quarterback situation remains unsettled, with Pittsburgh backed into a corner: either running things back with a now-42-year-old Aaron Rodgers or turning the huddle over to Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, or an as-yet-unknown rookie. Pittsburgh's offense could ultimately go in any number of directions under new head coach Mike McCarthy, but it seems unlikely that Freiermuth will suddenly emerge as a focal point after averaging 6.5 fantasy points per game over the past three seasons.