Friday, Sep 15 update: The Steelers got some good news on Friday. Tight end Pat Freiermuth was upgraded to a full participant in practice after being listed as limited on Thursday. The team has one more practice, but he’s on track to come off the final injury report on Saturday afternoon. He should be good to go for Week 2 Monday Night Football.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a disappointing blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They couldn’t get anything going on offense, despite a strong preseason. To make matters worse, tight end Pat Freiermuth is dealing with a lingering chest issue from the defeat. Pittsburgh doesn’t play until Monday night when they take on the Cleveland Browns, so ‘Muth has an extra day to rest up.
#Browns, #Steelers injury report pic.twitter.com/tlWUXJMXha
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 14, 2023
Fantasy football implications for Week 2
Freiermuth’s rapport with second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett was expected to make him a reliable tight end this year. Despite a low usage in Week 1, he still came away with a touchdown. Freiermuth was targeted four times and brought in one of them for the three-year score.
If Freiermuth is active, you should start him against the Browns. The defensive line is expected to eat up Pittsburgh’s o-line, meaning Pickett may reside in checkdown city, which should help the tight end’s target share. Darnell Washington would be the next man up if he sits, which would be a surprise, but not startable in fantasy football.