Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Cade Otton

Monday, January 12, 6:37 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth had very limited fantasy football upside in 2025 while sharing TE duties with both Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington (forearm). He finished as the TE24 in half-PPR scoring in 16 regular-season games, with 41 catches on 54 targets for 486 yards and four touchdowns. Freiermuth and Smith should have slightly bigger roles going into the playoffs on Wild-Card weekend on Monday night against the Houston Texans with Washington out, but the 27-year-old still isn't an ideal option for fantasy managers in a bad matchup. Freiermuth did finish the regular season strong with six catches on 10 targets for 114 yards in the final two games, but he hasn't scored since Nov. 23. The Texans have the No. 1 defense in the league, and they've allowed only 775 receiving yards (seventh-fewest) and eight TDs all year to the tight end position.

Friday, December 26, 3:29 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton has made a minimal impact in the passing attack during the second half of the season. When the Bucs were banged up, Otton was getting double-digit targets some weeks, but that's not the case anymore. The return of receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan has basically put an end to Otton's streaming value. The fourth-year tight end has been held to under 25 receiving yards in four straight games. It's tough to imagine anything changing during the upcoming Week 17 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. There should be better streaming options at the tight end position available for fantasy championship games this weekend.