August 6, 2025

2024 was a strange season for the Pittsburgh offense, but it didn't appear to faze Pat Freiermuth. The Penn State product's fourth campaign saw him set a new career-high in receptions and tie a career-high with seven scores, despite taking a slight step back in the yardage department. Even with the Steelers switching from quarterback Justin Fields to then-teammate Russell Wilson in Week 7, Freiermuth placed second on the team in yards and targets, while leading in receptions and receiving touchdowns. However, it may not be as effortless to make a mark in 2025. George Pickens' departure for Dallas frees up 103 targets from last year, but Pittsburgh's offense has a new look that threatens the 26-year-old's spot in the pecking order. Wide receiver DK Metcalf figures to gobble up a good amount of the aforementioned looks, and fellow tight end Jonnu Smith will be deployed in a variety of ways in Arthur Smith's offense. Freiermuth's seniority should keep him as the team's No. 1 option at the position, at least for the early going. That said, his counterpart is a significantly more explosive athlete, and it's unclear who veteran signal-caller Aaron Rodgers might favor until we see the unit in action. Freiermuth has the talent to be a solid contributor at tight end. Still, Pittsburgh's propensity to establish the run and a slew of new weapons in conjunction with a new quarterback make for inconsistency weekly. He's RotoBaller's PPR TE29 and is going over 70 picks after Smith in ADP.--Alex Ciulla