Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Elijah Arroyo

Monday, January 5, 9:20 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has seen an expanded role in the offense lately. The loss of Darnell Washington (forearm) has moved Freiermuth up the depth chart. Over the last four games, Freiermuth has hauled in 13 receptions for 179 yards, but he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 12. The 27-year-old will head into a playoff matchup against a tough Houston Texans defense this week. The Texans' defense has been generally strong versus opposing tight ends, which isn't good news for Freiermuth. The increased target share will certainly help, but Freiermuth should be viewed as a lower-end option for this difficult Wild-Card matchup. The return of DK Metcalf from a two-game suspension is also bad news for Freirmuth.

Wednesday, January 7, 3:12 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) has been designated for return to practice on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Arroyo is now eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve at any time now that his 21-day practice window has been opened. The Seahawks secured the top seed in the NFC, so they are on bye for Wild-Card weekend, and Arroyo will have another full week to practice before the Seahawks decide if he's ready to return for the Divisional Round of the postseason. The 22-year-old second-rounder would merely play a depth role for Seattle's offense if he returns for their first playoff game, making him hard to trust in fantasy playoff leagues. In his first year in the NFL, Arroyo took a back seat to AJ Barner and caught 15 of his 26 targets for 179 yards and only one touchdown.