Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Chigoziem Okonkwo

Thursday, April 4, 2:16 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth said on the Around the 412 podcast on Wednesday that he wants "to be in Pittsburgh for the rest of my career" as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. He missed five games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury, but overall his numbers declined from the previous two seasons. Subpar quarterback play didn't help, and the 25-year-old former second-round pick in 2021 out of Penn State caught a career-low 32 passes for 308 yards and only two touchdowns in 12 regular season games (nine starts). In new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense, Freiermuth could have a bounce-back campaign in 2024 and will be a nice sleeper target in fantasy drafts this fall.

Sunday, January 7, 4:38 PM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo caught two of his three targets for 36 yards in the season-ending win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The second-year pass-catcher underwhelmed in fantasy football this year, finishing with 54 receptions for 528 yards and one score. If he remains the starting tight end next season, he'll still have some fantasy football intrigue. If quarterback Will Levis takes a leap in year two, all of the Titans pass-catchers could receive value boosts.