Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Pat Freiermuth

Friday, October 31, 11:50 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz has seen six or more targets in three straight games since his no-catch performance in Week 5 against the Chargers. The veteran tight end continues to be a reliable threat in the red zone, leading the team with four receiving touchdowns. The 34-year-old will be happy to have second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels back as the starter, who he has been more productive with compared to backup Marcus Mariota. Ertz has uncharacteristically had multiple costly drops this season. The veteran has already totaled five drops in only eight games this season, more than he had all of last year and one off of his career high of six back in 2021. Ertz will likely see a solid target share with top wideout Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) out, and it's a decent matchup against a Seattle defense that has allowed 47 receptions to opposing tight ends, tied for seventh most. Ertz is ranked as RotoBaller's TE13 in PPR formats for Sunday Night Football.

Wednesday, November 5, 12:29 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth scored his third touchdown of the season in Sunday's 27-20 win over the AFC-leading Indianapolis Colts. Freiermuth has gotten rolling a bit after a slower start to the year, recording at least three receptions in each of the past three games and scoring all three touchdowns. The 27-year-old leads the team in receiving yards in that time and ranks as TE4 in total PPR points (44.1). It's fueled almost entirely by his five catches, 111-yard, two-touchdown performance against the horrendous Cincinnati Bengals defense on Thursday night in Week 7. The usage isn't there to justify Freiermuth all of a sudden jumping to TE1 status in fantasy. Freiermuth profiles as a low-end streaming option against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10.