Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Chig Okonkwo

Friday, October 17, 12:29 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught four of his five targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns during Thursday's Week 7 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. His touchdowns came on 19-yard and 68-yard receptions, the latter of which gave Pittsburgh a late lead (that they would ultimately relinquish). Freiermuth had not yet posted a fantasy performance with more than 6.1 fantasy points this season (PPR), so Thursday's breakout was admittedly unexpected. It should give fantasy managers optimism moving forward, but there's no denying that the 26-year-old continues to face competition at the tight end position. Fellow tight ends Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington each scored touchdowns on Thursday night, too, offering Aaron Rodgers plenty of options when he's looking to target big, physical receivers in the passing game. As a result, managers should view Freiermuth as a low-end TE2 for Week 8.

Saturday, October 18, 9:25 AM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo has quietly emerged as one of quarterback Cameron Ward's favorite targets, which should benefit him as he looks to maintain low-end fantasy relevance against the New England Patriots in Week 7. The 26-year-old has 10 catches for 94 yards over his last two games, and he ranks as the overall TE21 in scoring so far (PPR). The good news is that he has been a short-range outlet for Ward, but he can still contribute extra yards with his impressive YAC ability. We need to see a little more consistency from Okonkwo before confidently starting him. That could happen this week against the Patriots, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2025.