Pat Freiermuth To Be Heavily Involved In Arthur Smith's Offense

Pat Freiermuth To Be Heavily Involved In Arthur Smith's Offense

5 months ago

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth enjoyed immediate success when he entered the NFL as a second-round pick out of Penn State in 2021. As a rookie, he caught 60 of his 79 targets for 467 yards and seven touchdowns. In Year 2, he hauled in 63 passes for 732 yards and two scores and looked the part of an emerging high-floor fantasy tight end. Unfortunately, he was limited to just 12 games in 2023 and tallied just 308 yards and two touchdowns. However, with Russell Wilson at quarterback and Arthur Smith running the Pittsburgh offense, he could be headed toward a bounce-back campaign in 2024. Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly said Freiermuth was not only targeted heavily in OTAs, but he has looked like a "legitimate playmaker," and the team might extend his contract before Week 1. The Atlanta Falcons ranked among the top five teams in total tight end targets in two of Smith's three seasons as head coach, and in his final season as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator in 2020, they ranked seventh in total tight end targets. Given the weak group of wide receivers behind George Pickens, it would not be a surprise if Freiermuth is the No. 2 option in the revamped passing game. He could be a solid value pick at his mid-range TE2 cost in early fantasy drafts.

Source: Mark Kaboly - The Athletic