Steelers WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Allen Robinson led the Steelers in targets and yards on Sunday. But for now, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth remain the only pass catchers worth using in fantasy lineups. Just note: Week 2 turns up a tough test vs. a Browns defense that just dominated the Bengals.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson logged 3 catches on 6 targets for 48 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss vs. the 49ers. He looked to be on his way to leading the team in receiving prior to a third-quarter hamstring injury that saw him exit the contest for good. TE Pat Freiermuth caught a 3-yard TD at the end of the first half (his only catch on 4 targets) before being forced out of the game due to a chest injury. It’ll be vital for fantasy managers to stay on top of the injury reports this week in case either play misses Week 2 vs. the Browns. WRs Calvin Austin III (6 catches, 37 yards) and Allen Robinson (5 catches, 64 yards) both saw a lot of involvement by the end of Week 1, so perhaps they’ll be names to keep an eye on for waiver wire consideration.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the 49ers with a chest injury. We'll update his status when we know more.
Update: Freiermuth returned to the game.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has shown a ton of promise in his NFL career so far. He finished last season as the TE11 in PPR points per game (9.3) in a less-than-stellar offense. Though he logged nine top-12 weekly finishes with a pair of top-24 finishes, Freiermuth finished as a TE3 or worse in his other five games in 2022. But when you look under the hood, his production profile looks much better. Among 27 TEs who received 50+ targets in 2022, Freiermuth ranked sixth in Pro Football Focus receiving grade, sixth in target share (19.6%, sixth in air yards share (19.7%), and sixth in yards per route run (1.68). Better yet, he led the Steelers in targets per route run rate (23%), ranked sixth among all TEs in targets per game (6.2), and seventh in target share (20.9%) following the Week 9 trade that sent WR Chase Claypool to the Bears. What makes Freiermuth's feats in that stretch of time even more impressive is that he ranked 22nd in snaps player per game among TEs (47.8) during that period. Whether or not fantasy managers believe in the strength of the Steelers' offense, QB Kenny Pickett developed a strong relationship with Freiermuth that puts him in fairly high standing in our current TE rankings. Take a chance on him in the later rounds of your drafts this season.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is dealing with an undisclosed injury, per beat writer Brian Batko. “He’s frustrated because he has something that’s kind of slowed him down from having a good camp,” TE coach Alfredo Roberts said. “He was having a really good camp. He’s missed in the red zone, for sure.” Freiermuth says he’ll be ready for training camp. But before that, he'll take part in a different camp — “Tight End University” — led by Greg Olsen, George Kittle, and Travis Kelce. Freiermuth remains a top-8 option in our TE rankings.
The Steelers morphed into a run-heavy offense over the second half of last season, ranking sixth in rush rate. It sounds like the plan is to continue in that direction this year. “I think our identity was pretty clear the last nine games (of 2022),” OC Matt Canada said. “We ran the ball well, we were physical. You see who we drafted, who we acquired (this offseason). I don’t think there is any question about what our identity is going to be. We want to run the ball, we want to be physical, and we want to be a good team that can throw the football down the field. I think our identity is well known, and we’ll stay where we’re at.” The Steelers spent the 14th overall pick of this spring's draft on OT Broderick Jones and signed free-agent G Isaac Seumalo to bolster the offensive line. They return RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who will presumably be busy this year. Both guys are fine picks at ADP. The run-heavy plan is worrisome for QB Kenny Pickett, WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and TE Pat Freiermuth.
Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly believes TE Pat Freiermuth will reach 100 catches in 2023. Call it a truly bold prediction. Over the past 10 years, only Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller, and Zach Ertz have tallied at least one 100-catch season. Freiermuth hit 60 and 63 catches over his first two NFL seasons. Check the TE rankings to see our detailed projections for Freiermuth.
The Steelers selected Georgia TE Darnell Washington in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Washington’s college numbers aren’t great; he topped out with 28-454-2 last season. But you have to at least take notice of a TE that averaged 16.2 yards per catch. Of course, playing alongside the best TE in the country — Brock Bowers — didn’t help boost production. Washington also goes a supersized 6’7, 264 pounds, so he was heavily utilized as a blocker. That figures to be a key part of his NFL role, especially alongside Pat Freiermuth. We’ll also have to keep an eye on Washington’s health following reports of knee trouble.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth sprained an MCL in Sunday's finale vs. the Browns but won't need surgery, HC Mike Tomlin said. The injury shouldn't have much of an impact on Freiermuth's offseason. He finished his 2nd NFL campaign with a 63-732-2 line across 16 games, ranking 10th among TEs in PPR points per game.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth injured a knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Browns and was quickly ruled out. That often portends a serious injury, but we'll update Freiermuth's status when we know more.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth logged 3 receptions on 6 targets for 36 yards, leading all pass-catchers in Week 17 vs. the Ravens. WR Diontae Johnson wasn't too far behind with 35 yards and 2 catches on 7 targets. Sunday's win came mainly through the efforts of the Steelers' rushing attack and defensive contributions. This game wasn't a banner day for anyone whose primary responsibility is catching the ball. Week 18 will give this group an opportunity to bounce back in a fairly neutral matchup vs. the Browns.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth tallied 7 catches for 66 yards among 8 targets in Saturday night's win over the Raiders. The numbers marked a big rebound from his target-less Week 15 at Carolina. It was Freiermuth's most targets and receptions since Week 11. The TE trailed only RB Najee Harris in targets for the game. WR Diontae Johnson added 5-64 receiving on 7 looks. WR George Pickens caught all 5 of his targets for 57 yards and the go-ahead TD. Pittsburgh gets a Week 17 rematch with Baltimore, which has played the run much tougher than the pass for most of the season.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) fully practiced all week and doesn't carry an injury tag ahead of Saturday vs. the Raiders. With teammate WR Diontae Johnson (toe) looking iffy for Week 16, Freiermuth might see a boost. The second-year player is considered a pretty solid TE option in fantasy lineups. If the weather in Pittsburgh ends up being crummy, QB Kenny Pickett may look Freiermuth's way a good bit.
Pat Freiermuth (foot) logged full practice participation on Tuesday. Another full practice today will go a long way in giving the second-year player the green light for Saturday's game vs. the Raiders. We'll keep tabs on this front as more information trickles out. Freiermuth was quiet last week against the Panthers, but is a potentially fantasy viable option in Week 16 should he suit up to play.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (concussion) will start this weekend's game vs. the Raiders, HC Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. It sounds like Pickett still has 1 more step to pass protocol, so we'll keep an eye on his practice participation this week. Vegas ranks 30th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs, but Pickett hasn't shown enough this season to be more than a mid-range QB2 for Week 16.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth saw 0 targets in Sunday's win over the Panthers. Pittsburgh attempted only 22 passes, which didn't help. But 7 other Steelers drew at least 1 target, with WR Diontae Johnson (10), WR George Pickens (5) and WR Steven Sims (2) the only guys to exceed 1. Zach Gentry drew the only TE target. According to Pro Football Focus, Freiermuth still led the position in routes, running on 73.9% of QB Mitchell Trubisky's dropbacks. That ranked 3rd among all Pittsburgh players. Freiermuth entered the game off 3 straight 3-catch weeks, so he has fallen out of must-start range in fantasy football leagues. Week 16 does hold an upside matchup with the Raiders, at least. A Week 17 trip to Baltimore also features a defense that plays the run tougher than the pass and fares worse against TEs than WRs in coverage.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) only got in a limited practice on Friday but isn’t listed on the final injury report for this weekend’s game vs. the Panthers. He reportedly hurt his foot on his 1st catch last weekend and was able to play through it. There’s a bit more risk here than usual, but Freiermuth remains a fine Week 15 fantasy starter.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) missed his 2nd straight practice on Thursday. He said Wednesday that he'll play vs. the Panthers this weekend, but we wouldn't go locking Freiermuth into Week 15 fantasy lineups just yet. Check back tomorrow for another update on his status.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) did not practice on Wednesday. He told ESPN's Brooke Pryor that he hurt his foot on his 1st catch last weekend. He was able to fight through it the rest of that game and expects to play vs. the Panthers on Sunday. We'll keep an eye on Freiermuth over the next few days.
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