Who Should I Start? Giovanni Ricci or Pat Freiermuth

Monday, February 3, 7:02 PM

The New England Patriots signed free-agent tight end Giovanni Ricci (knee) to a Reserve/Futures deal on Monday. Ricci was on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in 2024 but never was active for a regular-season game and was cut in August due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan made his NFL debut in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, with all 36 of his career games coming with Carolina. In three NFL seasons, Ricci has caught only nine of 12 targets for 102 yards and no touchdowns with the Panthers. Ricci is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher and will now represent tight end depth for the Patriots throughout the offseason and into training camp this summer. The most likely scenario is that he'll effective serve as a fullback for new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Sunday, December 7, 9:15 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth continues to play less than half of the offensive snaps, and he seems to be third on the tight end pecking order behind both Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith. Freiermuth was held without a target last Sunday, and he has a modest seven catches over his last four games. The 27-year-old ranks as the overall TE24 so far this season, and his fantasy value has been largely dependent on scoring touchdowns. He has exceeded 6.5 fantasy points (PPR) just three times this year, and it happened in the three games where he scored at least one touchdown. His chances of getting back on track this week are very slim as he takes on the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore has played strong defense against tight ends in 2025, allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points to the position. Freiermuth ranks as the overall TE30 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings. He can be avoided in most leagues during Week 14.