Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Colston Loveland

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.

Tuesday, January 27, 2:36 PM

The Athletic's Dan Wiederer writes that it's not hard to envision Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland becoming an "even more complete weapon" and a "major force" in the offense in his second season in 2026. "He's going to be a weapon for a long time," head coach Ben Johnson said. The 21-year-old Loveland, who was taken 10th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Michigan, is overflowing with talent. But what makes him even more intriguing for the long term is that he's united with quarterback Caleb Williams and Johnson, one of the smartest play-callers in the league. Williams continues to point out how Loveland is a very friendly target because of his size, catch radius, fluidity, and ability to separate. Loveland got off to a slow start in his first year in the NFL, but he came on strong at the end of the year and finished as the TE12 in half-PPR scoring with a 58-713-6 slash line in 16 regular-season games. Going into Year 2 in 2026, Loveland will have high-end TE1 upside for fantasy managers.