Can Pat Freiermuth Bounce Back as a Fantasy Football Sleeper in 2026?

Pat Freiermuth enters 2026 as an overlooked fantasy football tight end with a path to increased usage if the Steelers lean more heavily on their passing attack.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) looks on while walking off the field after falling 30-6 to the Houston Texans during the NFL Wild Card game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on January 12, 2026. | Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pat Freiermuth has quietly settled into a frustrating but productive phase of his NFL career, flashing fantasy relevance without ever fully breaking into the upper tier of tight ends. With changes to Pittsburgh’s offensive personnel and fewer pass-catching obstacles at tight end, 2026 may present his clearest path yet toward fantasy consistency.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Freiermuth had his best statistical season in 2022, setting career highs in catches (63), receiving yards (732), and targets (98) despite a missed game and zero-catch performances in Weeks 15 and 18. His yards per catch climbed to 11.6 (up 3.3 yards from 2021), and he recorded seven or more catches in four games. His inconsistency was still a theme, however, highlighted by six or fewer targets in eight matchups.

His 2023 season was largely a washout. He managed just eight catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets through his first four games before a hamstring injury sidelined him for six weeks. He returned to little fanfare before exploding for nine catches and 120 yards in Week 12, only to go quiet again over his final six regular-season games (14 catches for 128 yards on 22 targets). His second-best output of the entire year came in the playoffs with five catches for 76 yards.

Freiermuth scored below 10.00 PPR fantasy points in eight of his first 11 games in 2024 before Pittsburgh leaned on him more heavily down the stretch, giving him at least three catches and a touchdown in five of his final six contests. He set a new career high in catches (65) and ranked ninth among tight ends in PPR scoring with 170.30 fantasy points, a quietly solid finish despite averaging only 4.6 targets per game throughout the year.

Pat Freiermuth DRAGGING defenders.

PITvsCIN on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/xVm4AQpKuV

— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2025

Despite leading the Steelers in tight end production (41/486/4 on 54 targets), Pittsburgh only had Freiermuth on the field for 51.6% of their snaps last year. He had one impact game (Week 7 – 5/111/2) against the Bengals (worst tight end defense). In his remaining 16 games. Freiermuth gained over 35 yards in only three other matchups (3/45, 3/63, and 3/51) while adding two more scores in 2025.

Pat Freiermuth 2026 Fantasy Football Forecast

Fantasy Outlook: With a pass-catching profile and no edge in blocking, Freiermuth is a challenging player to time, especially based on the Steelers’ tight end rotation last year. With Jonnu Smith removed from the tight end equation in 2026, Pittsburgh should settle more into a two tight end options in 2026. Sneaky player, but he should be treated as a backend TE2 this fantasy season with a free price point. Possible 50 catches for 500 yards and five touchdowns.