Who Should I Start? Mo Alie-Cox or Pat Freiermuth

Saturday, November 2, 12:30 PM

Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox gets an upgrade at quarterback in Week 9 with Joe Flacco under center, with eight of Cox's 13 total targets coming during Flacco's playing time earlier this season while Anthony Richardson dealt with an injury. In Weeks 5 and 6 combined, Cox caught all eight of his targets for 78 yards (he has just 100 on the season) and a touchdown. In Week 4 when Flacco came on in relief of Richardson, the veteran QB hit tight end Drew Ogletree for a 15-yard touchdown pass, so Cox and the TE group as a whole should be much more involved going forward. Cox leads the Colts TEs in targets on the season with 13, which is four more than Kylen Granson and six more than Ogletree. There are surely more proven TE options available on the waiver wire that have already been integrated into their offenses, but for fantasy managers looking for an under-the-radar dart throw with upside this week, Cox should be under consideration.

Wednesday, November 20, 8:08 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has done very little for fantasy over the past six weeks but will look to bounce back in a divisional bout with the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. The Browns look like a favorable matchup for tight ends on paper, but Taysom Hill's monstrous showing last week accounts for nearly 35% of the points Cleveland has allowed to the position this season. Only two other tight ends have managed top-10 finishes against the Browns in 2024. Freiermuth does not seem to have a reliable role in Pittsburgh's offense with quarterback Russell Wilson targeting fellow tight end Darnell Washington twice more than Freiermuth since taking over for Justin Fields in Week 7. Even with a few big names on bye this week, fantasy managers should not rely on Freiermuth as there are likely better replacement options available on waivers.