Who Should I Start? Pat Freiermuth or Xavier Worthy

Friday, October 17, 12:29 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught four of his five targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns during Thursday's Week 7 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. His touchdowns came on 19-yard and 68-yard receptions, the latter of which gave Pittsburgh a late lead (that they would ultimately relinquish). Freiermuth had not yet posted a fantasy performance with more than 6.1 fantasy points this season (PPR), so Thursday's breakout was admittedly unexpected. It should give fantasy managers optimism moving forward, but there's no denying that the 26-year-old continues to face competition at the tight end position. Fellow tight ends Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington each scored touchdowns on Thursday night, too, offering Aaron Rodgers plenty of options when he's looking to target big, physical receivers in the passing game. As a result, managers should view Freiermuth as a low-end TE2 for Week 8.

Friday, October 17, 10:21 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. Worthy caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown in Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. The speedster was on the injury report with shoulder and ankle injuries this week, but practiced fully all week and is good to go for this week's matchup. Worthy has been the de facto WR1 for Kansas City since returning from his shoulder injury in Week 1, but it looks like he will have to relinquish that role against the Raiders. With fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice returning from suspension this week, Worthy may be less featured in the passing game. That said, Worthy and Rice win in different areas of the field, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the duo coexist. Rice's return takes pressure off and opens things up downfield for Worthy. The Raiders have also given up the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season, so both wideouts can find their share of success in this matchup. Worthy is ranked WR19 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a solid WR2 this week.