Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Mason Taylor

Sunday, January 12, 12:53 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth logged three receptions for 15 yards on four targets in a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Freiermuth, who was incredibly productive to close the regular season, wasn't very involved on Saturday night as the Steelers struggled to move the ball for much of the contest. He was given an opportunity on Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage but unfortunately dropped the pass. The fourth-year pro was signed to a lucrative extension in 2024 and will head into the 2025-2026 campaign as one of the team's featured pass-catchers. For fantasy purposes, Freiermuth's value going forward will largely depend on who is under center for the Steelers with Russell Wilson entering free agency this offseason.

Tuesday, April 29, 4:39 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that rookie second-round tight end Mason Taylor will immediately walk into the Jets building at the top of the tight end depth chart going into his rookie season in 2025. Jeremy Ruckert projects as the No. 2, but he has yet to make an impact since the Jets drafted him in 2022. The Jets are at least hoping he can take a step forward as a blocker and contribute in the running game. The 20-year-old Taylor not only will be a starter immediately, but he could see plenty of targets from quarterback Justin Fields in his first year in the NFL, giving him TE1 fantasy upside in 2025. Outside of WR1 Garrett Wilson, the Jets don't exactly star-studded receiving depth in Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard and Arian Smith. Taylor will have intriguing rookie upside, but he'll still be better off drafted as a TE2 sleeper than a staple for those in single-TE leagues.