The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to see a big improvement offensively this season, due in large part to an upgrade at the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers may be even older than Russell Wilson was a year ago, but he arguably has more left in the tank based on last season's tape.
That boost at QB should up the value of the Steelers' playmakers from a fantasy football perspective. At least, you would think so, but not according to Pro Football Focus fantasy analyst Jonathon Macri.
In a recent fantasy tight end article, he ranked Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth 23rd. Not only is that much lower than the 11th-place finish he achieved a year ago, but it is also eight spots lower than his ranking by PFF prior to last season.
PFF disrespects Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth with low fantasy ranking
The ranking by itself is confusing, regardless of who was playing QB for the Steelers in 2025, but especially so now that Rodgers is throwing passes for them. An older and less talented Tyler Conklin finished 2024 ranked right around where PFF projects Freiermuth to rank in 2025, and he wasn't even close to the Jets' second-best target on offense.
Unless one of Calvin Austin III or Roman Wilson has a huge breakout campaign, Freiermuth should see the second-most targets on the team behind only DK Metcalf. That alone should make his floor too high to finish 23rd like they are forecasting, and his ceiling could be that of a top 10 fantasy tight end.
The knock on Freiermuth so far in his career has been inconsistency and injuries, especially concussions that can scare fantasy owners away. That shouldn't be enough to rank him this low, however, especially after he played all 17 games in 2024.
If anything, his 2025 outlook should be the most optimistic it has ever been. If he replicates his touchdown total of seven from 2024, while adding a few more receptions and yards, he could easily make a run at even a top-five finish this season.
I would be looking to grab him as early as a round ahead of where he is projected, and it could pay off in a big way for fantasy managers.