It’s been a productive start for the Pittsburgh Steelers. At 3-2, they’re winning with their usual defense and strong run game. Aaron Rodgers’ passing game has been middling most of the season, which has held them back somewhat, but it still creates a productive fantasy football environment. Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has found a way to succeed and is the TE8 in PPR leagues through five weeks after scoring a pair of touchdowns in Week 5. Will he be a must-start in fantasy leagues going forward? Let’s dig into it.
Week 5 Production
Pat Freiermuth’s Week 5 performance against the Colts was a season-best. The veteran tight end drew a season-high seven targets, turning that usage into five catches for 44 yards and two scores. After scoring from one yard out early in the game, Freiermuth’s second score helped to put the Colts away for good in the fourth quarter.
Scoring is nothing new for the Muth, who now has four touchdowns this season. He’s on pace to shatter his career high of seven receiving touchdowns, and continues to get big looks from Aaron Rodgers.
This is a good sign that Freiermuth’s 2025 season was an aberration. In the three previous full seasons, Freiermuth finished TE13, TE8, and TE9 in PPR scoring formats. He plummeted to 25th in 2025, falling far down the target hierarchy for Aaron Rodgers. But can he keep it going next week against the Buccaneers?
Matchup Outlook
Tight ends have been a sore spot for Tampa Bay this season. They’ve allowed the tenth-most PPR points to tight ends this season; opposing TEs have a 30/301/3 receiving line. That averages about six catches for 60 yards per game, with a decent chance of a score. That’s a lot of meat on the bone for the Steelers tight ends.
It is important to consider Freiermuth’s split here. Darnell Washington gets a fair amount of work in Pittsburgh’s offense, acting as the 1B to Freiermuth’s 1A. Pat tends to work deeper downfield, recording a solid 8.77 aDOT this year. He’s not the best runner after the catch, which is why Washington gets the underneath work. This year, Freiermuth has a 19/169/4 receiving line, compared with Washington’s 11/131/1. Without the gap in touchdown production, the two would be virtually even in fantasy production.
The matchup here is favorable, but is Washington’s presence enough to hamper Freiermuth’s TE1 status against the Buccaneers and for the remainder of the season?
Fantasy Verdict
Even without the touchdowns, Freiermuth has a solid floor. He has received at least five targets in each game and often gets decent downfield looks. There’s enough meat on the bone for low-end PPR value week to week, but it’s fair to wonder if the scores will dry up.
If you went with a zero-TE strategy and drafted Freiermuth or picked him up early on, you probably feel good about starting him. But I wouldn’t rank him above established top tight ends, and he remains a low-end TE1 in PPR leagues. I wouldn’t go drastically adjusting the valuation of Freiermuth, but it’s good to see him producing like a fantasy starter again.
