Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Michael Mayer
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 30.8 | 0.2 |
Pat Freiermuth News
Saturday, September 5, 10:31 AM
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth should have a little more room to operate after spending last season stuck in a crowded rotation. Freiermuth played just over half of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps and saw 54 targets, the exact same number as Jonnu Smith. Smith is gone now after being released in March, leaving Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Robert Tonyan in the tight end room. That doesn't mean Washington disappears. He actually played slightly more snaps than Freiermuth last season and should remain heavily involved, especially as a blocker. There is still less competition than a year ago, when Freiermuth fell to 41 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns after posting a 65-653-7 line in 2024. He also showed some early chemistry with Aaron Rodgers this summer, including a 23-yard touchdown during a two-minute drill in camp. DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. will command plenty of targets, but Smith's departure gives Freiermuth a better chance to stay on the field and get back into the TE2 conversation.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 21.3 | 0.1 |
Michael Mayer News
Saturday, September 5, 11:45 AM
While all of the buzz is on Brock Bowers in Las Vegas -- and rightfully so -- don't count out Michael Mayer as a relevant deep-league fantasy tight end for the Raiders this season quite yet. Mayer is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 and has a lot to prove. Mayer is listed as the second tight end on the Raiders' depth chart, behind Bowers. While Bowers is likely to lead the team in targets, he will also get a lot of defensive attention. Las Vegas' wide receiver corps of Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bech, among others, is largely underwhelming on paper, which should allow Mayer to have opportunities in the passing game with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm. Despite this, Mayer is not necessarily somebody to roster just yet in standard redraft leagues. In fact, he is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues right now. He is somebody to monitor on the waiver wire as he currently ranks as RotoBaller's No. 33 tight end in PPR/half-PPR leagues. If the WR room struggles early on, Mayer could carve out a role on a weekly basis.
Pat Freiermuth vs. Michael Mayer
Still trying to decide between Freiermuth and Mayer? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Pat Freiermuth is projected to score 7.5 points this week while Michael Mayer is projected to score 5.0 points.
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