Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Noah Gray

Friday, August 22, 12:08 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth hauled in both of his targets for six yards in a 19-10 exhibition victory over the Carolina Panthers. Freiermuth, who was held out of Pittsburgh's first two preseason contests, played with the first-team offense on Thursday night and was immediately a go-to option for quarterback Mason Rudolph. In addition to his two official opportunities, Freiermuth was targeted early in the first quarter on third down, but his defender was flagged for pass interference. While recently-acquired tight end Jonnu Smith (knee) isn't expected to miss any regular-season action, Freiermuth should still be a focal point of the Steelers' passing game that lacks depth at the wide receiver position. He's an intriguing late-round target with upside in most redraft fantasy leagues.

Friday, August 8, 10:40 AM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray has looked very strong in training camp and is receiving strong buzz from reports. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that the tight end looks like a "high-end" starter. Throughout his four-year career in Kansas City, Gray has typically taken the backseat to future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce. However, after catching just 28 passes in both 2022 and 2023, Gray was able to enjoy a mini-breakout season in 2024. Last fall, Gray caught a career-best 40 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns. He enjoyed productive stretch from Weeks 10 through 15 when he averaged a solid 10.2 PPR points per game. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his progression early in the season as he could continue to carve out a role behind Kelce. However, for now, Kelce remains the clear TE1 in Kansas City. Gray is best viewed as a high-upside TE3 in deeper formats.