Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Will Mallory

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.

Saturday, January 6, 9:48 PM

Indianapolis Colts tight end Will Mallory (hamstring) has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Houston Texans. The rookie tight end exited and was ruled out with a hamstring issue during the second quarter. He failed to haul in his lone target of the contest. Kylen Granson and Mo Alie-Cox will be the primary options at tight end for the rest of this contest.