Who Should I Start? Tyler Conklin or Pat Freiermuth

Friday, March 21, 10:24 PM

Former New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. Conklin heads to the AFC West after spending the last three years with the Jets, where he had 170 catches on 246 targets for 1,622 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 games (43 starts). While the 29-year-old did have a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games (15 starts) last year, he had just 51 catches and 449 yards (his lowest total since 2020) on 72 targets. The former fifth-round selection (157th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 out of Central Michigan has the opportunity to be the Chargers' top pass-catching tight end in 2025, but he'll also be sharing playing time with Will Dissly. Dissly had a very similar 50-481-2 line to Conklin a year ago in L.A. Expect Conklin to be a touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy in his new home.

Friday, September 26, 9:13 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has been quiet to start the season and will look to get back on track against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. While the Vikings have been middle-of-the-pack against opposing tight ends through three weeks, Freiermuth could see a boost in opportunities given Pittsburgh's injury report. Fellow tight end Jonnu Smith (hip) and running back Jaylen Warren (knee) are questionable to suit up after practicing in a limited capacity on Friday. Each has been a reliable short-area target for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, so if either of them misses this international bout in Ireland, Freiermuth would likely absorb some of those looks. Fantasy managers should monitor the situation, but in a matchup that projects to be low-scoring, Freiermuth remains a risky play and is best considered a stash or backup option.