The Athletic's Mark Kaboly named Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth one of the team's winners coming out of spring workouts. "Nobody performed better and more consistently for four weeks than Freiermuth," Kaboly wrote. "He had an instant connection with Russell Wilson and came across as a potential playmaker in Arthur Smith’s tight-end-heavy offense. ... Freiermuth might not have dropped a pass all month, and he’s talented enough to take a short pass and turn it into something big. Entering his fourth season, it’s the best he has looked."
Freiermuth is coming off a disappointing 2023 season, missing five games with injury and finishing just 32nd among TEs in PPR points per game.
But he finished 17th in PPR points per game as a rookie in 2021, climbed to 10th in 2022, and looks like a prime bounce-back candidate this year. WR Diontae Johnson's departure leaves a ton of targets up for grabs. And Freiermuth figures to get better QB play this season, especially whenever Russell Wilson is under center.
Perhaps most importantly, as Kaboly mentioned, Freiermuth is now in a TE-centric offense. Arthur Smith's scheme has consistently targeted TEs at an above-average rate. He's led Jonnu Smith to a TE13 finish in PPR points per game in 2020, Kyle Pitts to a TE6 finish in 2021, and Pitts and Smith to top-17 finishes last year.
Freiermuth has a real shot to re-emerge as a top-12 fantasy TE this season. He's going well outside the top 12 in ADP.
For more on Freiermuth's 2024 outlook, check out Fantasy Football Sleepers.
Freiermuth is a nice trade target for dynasty teams looking for TE help -- or even just some added depth at the position. Current dynasty ADP has Freiermuth 16th among TEs. He sits 13th in our dynasty TE rankings.
This is a former second-round pick who's already shown TE1 ability and turns just 26 in October. Freiermuth is right in the middle of his prime, according to our aging-curve research. He has a chance to provide TE1 production for another handful of seasons.
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