Week 4 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Pat Freiermuth vs. Jake Ferguson

Headed into Week 4 of fantasy football, there are many difficult decisions fantasy managers will have to make in their lineup. For many, their toughest decision will be who they decide to play at their TE starting spot.

Two TEs that are teetering on the line of being startable players this week are Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth and Dallas Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson. Here is a breakdown of who fantasy managers should play between the two this week.

Jake Ferguson

Ferguson has been one of the better TEs in fantasy over the last two weeks. In that short stretch in PPR fantasy formats, he is TE7. A lot of his success has been tied to him finding the end zone, scoring a total of three TDs in Weeks 2 and 3. In Week 4, when he takes on the Houston Texans, his road to fantasy success should be more difficult.

The Texans, through three games, have yet to allow a single touchdown to an opposing TE. They have, however, given up two top-top 10 PPR fantasy performances to opposing TE1s.

In Week 1 against Houston, Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid had five receptions for 130 yards and finished as TE5 in fantasy for the week. In Week 3, Indianapolis Colts TE1 Tyler Warren ranked as TE10 in PPR formats, posting nine receptions for 55 yards. The question is, can Ferguson be startable in fantasy without scoring a TD? The answer is yes.

In 2025, Ferguson had multiple games where he ranked inside the top five in highest-scoring TEs in PPR formats for the week without scoring a TD. In Week 2 against the New York Giants, he logged nine receptions for 78 yards, and in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, he logged 13 receptions for 82 yards. In both weeks, he was TE3.

Pat Freiermuth

After a good game in Week 1, logging five receptions for 46 yards and a TD, Freiermuth’s production has halted. Over his last two games, he has a combined six receptions for 62 yards. And although it is tempting to insert a player who plays on Thursday Night into your starting fantasy lineup, Freiermuth is set up to make that a bad decision against the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns so far in 2026 have had a slightly below-average passing defense. They are allowing the 15th fewest passing yards per game in the NFL, 224.0. Within that, they have done well at defending opposing teams' TE1s. The three they have faced have averaged 37.3 receiving yards per game and 4.0 receptions. Only one of the three TEs recorded a TD.

Freiermuth’s usage has also been trending the wrong way. He saw a decrease in his snap share after both Weeks 1 and 2. That is ultra-concerning, with the Steelers throwing for their highest passing yard total in 2026 in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals: 292 passing yards. In Week 1, Freiermuth played in 73% of snaps; in Week 3, he played in 60%.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who should start and who should sit in fantasy football in Week 4 between Freiermuth and Ferguson, Freiermuth should sit, and Ferguson should start.

Ferguson showing in 2025 that he can be a valuable TE without finding the end zone and then going against a team in Week 4 that has already given up two fantasy outings to opposing TE1s helps him get the edge in this start-and-sit debate. Combining that fact with Freiermuth seeing his snap share die down week to week, and also going against a team whose highest ranking they allowed to a TE in PPR formats for a single week being TE14 makes him an easy sit decision in Week 4 in fantasy football, even outside of this debate.

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