Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Connor Heyward

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.

Friday, November 3, 12:12 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Connor Heyward caught two of his three targets for 16 yards in the team's 20-16 win over the visiting Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Darnell Washington caught his only target for a seven-yard gain. Heyward caught a season-high five passes (six targets) for 24 yards in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars with Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) on Injured Reserve, but he couldn't keep up that elevated production in Week 9. Freiermuth will miss at least two more games, but fantasy managers just won't be able to trust Heyward for consistent production in one of the weaker offenses in the league. The 24-year-old has just 14 receptions for 105 yards and no touchdowns in eight games in 2023.