Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Ashton Jeanty

Wednesday, February 18, 6:29 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth had a productive season, but the crowded nature of the team's tight end room pushed him off the radar in fantasy football. Despite being a top-nine fantasy tight end in two of his three previous seasons, Freiermuth dropped down to TE25 in PPR leagues in 2025. He played in all 17 games, catching 41 passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns. Part of Freiermuth's underwhelming season can be attributed to the crowded tight end room surrounding him. Jonnu Smith saw 54 targets after Pittsburgh deliberately went out and traded for him during the offseason, and Darnell Washington had a breakout year with 31 catches. Neither Smith nor Washington is a free agent this offseason, so we could expect a similar story of Freiermuth's volume being capped in 2026. As a result, he's not worth drafting in most 12-team redraft leagues next year, and he could be worth selling in dynasty formats.

Thursday, February 26, 9:27 AM

Las Vegas Raiders new head coach Klint Kubiak plans to use a committee backfield in his first year at the helm in 2026, saying that "it's important for Ashton Jeanty to have a wingman." "We definitely want to have a two-man show," Kubiak added. It's bad news for Jeanty's already declining fantasy football value after a disappointing showing in his rookie season. Kubiak split the load at RB last year with the Seattle Seahawks, too, using Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in tandem on the way to a Super Bowl championship. Jeanty, the sixth overall pick last April out of Boise State, averaged just 3.7 yards per carry for 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries in 17 regular season games in a bad Raiders offense. The 22-year-old should have a better supporting cast around him, with the team expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall, but a backfield timeshare in Vegas will surely cap Jeanty's fantasy upside going into Year 2.