Pat

Freiermuth

Freiermuth ran a pass route on 22 of the Steelers’ 36 drop backs, leading all tight ends and seeing a small bump in playing time with Darnell Washington sidelined with a concussion he sustained in the first quarter. Jonnu Smith, meanwhile, ran just 13 routes and saw one target. Freiermuth, who doesn’t have more than three receptions in the game since Week 6, could have some deep-league fantasy relevance in Week 15 against the Dolphins if Washington enters the league’s concussion protocol and misses a game or two.

All four of Freiermuth’s 2025 scores have come since October 16, but he hasn’t caught more than three passes or cleared 40 yards in any of his past five games. Rotating snaps and targets with Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington, Freiermuth is on the outside looking in of TE2 status heading into Week 13 against the Bills.

Freiermuth went for 6-111-2 a few weeks ago against the Bengals, but things looked a bit different this time around, as the veteran tight end was unable to get anything going, and was held to just one target on the day. Freiermuth remains in a three-way split with Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington for playing time, which makes all three Steelers tight ends hard to trust in Week 12 against the Bears.

The “Muth” chants from the well-traveled Pittsburgh fans weren’t enough to return any semblance of fantasy value for the veteran tight end on a night the offense managed only 221 yards of total offense on the road. Freiermuth remains a touchdown-dependent dart throw in fantasy circles ahead of a plus matchup against the Bengals in Week 11.

Freiermuth has seen four targets in back-to-back weeks, and remains in a three-way split with Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith for opportunities. The fifth-year tight end found pay dirt on a 12-yard score in the second quarter to give him his third score of the season, but Muth remains difficult to trust in fantasy given how the Steelers distribute their targets.

He can be plugged right back into your TE2 spot if that’s what you want to do with your life. Outside of his 5/111/2 Thursday night explosion against the Bengals, Freiermuth has not cleared 31 yards or three catches all season.

Freiermuth suffered a bruised quad on a low hit in Week 8. His return to practice on Thursday indicates he will be on the field for the Steeles’ Week 9 game against the Colts, though he can only be started as a low-end TE2, running routes in his team’s three-player tight end rotation.

According to PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh, Freiermuth is dealing with a bruised quad. It shouldn’t result in an extended absence, but it is possible that Freiermuth misses Week 9. That would likely allow Jonnu Smith to play a full-time role. Smith hasn’t done much this year while playing a limited number of snaps. He would become an interesting streaming option if Freiermuth is ruled out.

Freiermuth came down hard on his neck and head on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and had to be helped to the sideline, ultimately returning two series later to finish the game. It is unclear if he was checked for a concussion as it appeared to be his neck that bore the brunt of the fall. It remains difficult for Freiermuth to carry legitimate fantasy value while splitting time with three other tight ends in Pittsburgh, even after his two-touchdown showing a week ago.

Sitting on 8/76/0 coming into this evening, Freiermuth flirted with doubling his entire season production. Score No. 1 was a 19-yarder where Freiermuth found a seam in the middle of the field. No. 2 was a 68-yard coverage bust with 2:21 remaining. Maybe Aaron Rodgers will finally stop sending so many targets Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington’s way. Then again, they both scored, too. With almost literally only one viable wideout in DK Metcalf, there is room for multiple tight ends to produce in this offense, but the passing volume is ultimately too limited to be messing around with Freiermuth as a TE2 until/unless he starts producing more consistent 4/50 statlines. Pittsburgh gets the Packers on Sunday Night Football for Week 8.