Who Should I Start? Mark Andrews or Pat Freiermuth

Saturday, December 20, 8:31 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has struggled lately, but he has a promising opportunity to bounce back against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 16. Andrews is the overall TE18 in full-PPR leagues this year, and he has just eight catches for 83 yards and zero touchdowns over his last four games. Last week's matchup against the Bengals seemed like the perfect opportunity for Andrews to explode, but that didn't come to fruition. Perhaps this week will be better, as the veteran faces off against a Patriots defense that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points and sixth-most receptions to opposing tight ends in 2025. With that said, managers are justifiably wary about starting Andrews after his ugly stretch of games, no matter how intriguing the matchup may be. He ranks as the overall TE16 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for Week 16.

Saturday, December 20, 1:33 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth was effective in Week 15, catching three passes for 45 yards, and will hope to stay involved in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions. Though the Lions have struggled against the pass this season, the majority of production they have allowed has come from opposing wide receivers. Still, this isn't necessarily a matchup to avoid, especially given the game's healthy projected point total. The concern for Freiermuth remains his volatile role, as Pittsburgh continues to split opportunities fairly evenly among him, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington. Fantasy managers in deep formats who are desperate at the position could look to stream Freiermuth in hopes of a touchdown, but the 27-year-old should be left on waiver wires in most redraft leagues.