Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Emeka Egbuka

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, 5:59 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka entered the NFL with high expectations after Tampa took him with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Egbuka quickly showed that his talent was for real, catching 25 of his 38 targets for 445 yards and five touchdowns in his first five NFL games. The 23-year-old would only go on to catch one more touchdown pass the rest of the way, though, to finish with 63 receptions for 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 17 contests. Egbuka opened 2025 with a substantial role, with both Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan dealing with injuries. Veteran Mike Evans also went down due to injury during the season, which assured Egbuka of a heavy target share. Once both Evans and Godwin returned, Egbuka saw his role shrink dramatically. Egbuka's talent will play long-term, but he could have his fantasy upside capped in 2026 if Evans, Godwin, and McMillan are all in the fold.