Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Aidan O'Connell

Sunday, January 12, 12:53 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth logged three receptions for 15 yards on four targets in a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Freiermuth, who was incredibly productive to close the regular season, wasn't very involved on Saturday night as the Steelers struggled to move the ball for much of the contest. He was given an opportunity on Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage but unfortunately dropped the pass. The fourth-year pro was signed to a lucrative extension in 2024 and will head into the 2025-2026 campaign as one of the team's featured pass-catchers. For fantasy purposes, Freiermuth's value going forward will largely depend on who is under center for the Steelers with Russell Wilson entering free agency this offseason.

Sunday, January 5, 9:55 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 214 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He also rushed four times for an additional 13 yards on the ground. O'Connell has delivered modest production over the last three weeks, tallying four passing touchdowns and one turnover during that span. He has benefitted from the breakout seasons of both Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, but his production might not be enough to deter Vegas from selecting a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Purdue product finished this year with a 63.6 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns, and six turnovers through parts of nine games. Dynasty managers should hold O'Connell on their rosters for now, as he'll be hard to sell but is a little too valuable to drop in leagues with 14 teams or more. From a redraft perspective, he'll trend down as long as the Raiders add a notable quarterback especially if it's a rookie during the upcoming months.