Tag: Pat Freiermuth

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth was expecting to be selected by the Jaguars in 2021 NFL Draft

Pittsburgh Steelers Pat Freiermuth was this close to becoming a Jaguar in the 2021 NFL draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth almost became a Jacksonville Jaguar in the 2021 NFL draft. He told Adam Breneman on his new podcast that Jacksonville called him on Day 2 of the draft, saying it would take him in the second round.

“I really thought I was gonna go to Jacksonville really with [my former tight ends coach Tyler Bowen],” Freiermuth said. “They called me and they were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to draft you at this spot (45).”

Freiermuth wasn’t the only one who thought the pairing would happen as many fans connected the dots and several mock drafts sent him to the Jags, too. After all, Bowen, who Urban Meyer hired last February, coached Freiermuth dating back to his time as a freshman at Penn State.

However, the Jags ultimately took former Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little with their pick in the second round.

Freiermuth added that he thought he was going to the Tennessee Titans after the Jags went in another direction. However, they also took a left tackle and selected Dillon Radunz of North Dakota State.

That allowed the Steelers to take him two picks later. He finished his rookie season, hauling in 60 catches for 497 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 8.3 yards per catch.

Freiermuth finally said that he’s thankful that he didn’t end up with the Jaguars.

It’s hard to not blame him after the dysfunctional season the franchise had under former head coach Urban Meyer. The Jaguars finished 3-14 and hold the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight draft.

However, it’s also a shame Jacksonville didn’t select him because Freiermuth was considered the second-best tight end in last year’s class behind former Florida star Kyle Pitts and the organization desperately needed a player like him.

Kings of third down: Tight Ends

The best tight ends on third down.

Tight ends always have around five elite players each season, and another five with enough production and consistency that they merit fantasy attention. All the rest – “just another player.” And the usage of a tight end on a third-down play is the least of all positions. Just five players ended up with more than 17 third-down plays, therefore averaging more than one per game.

This breakdown is very fantasy relevant in that it shows the true importance that these players have to their offenses. And those with the higher yards-per-catch are used more as a receiver than as a blocker.

The below considers any tight end that had at least ten third-down catches.

Third-down receptions

Tight End Third Downs First Downs
1 Pat Freiermuth 24 14
2 Travis Kelce 22 19
3 Anthony Firkser 21 10
4 Mark Andrews 19 15
5 Kyle Pitts 19 13
6 Mike Gesicki 17 13
7 Evan Engram 17 9
8 Noah Fant 17 4
9 Zach Ertz 16 11
10 Hunter Henry 15 14
11 Dalton Schultz 15 13
12 Tyler Higbee 14 11
13 George Kittle 14 10
14 Tyler Conklin 14 5
15 Jared Cook 13 11
16 Gerald Everett 13 9
17 Dallas Goedert 12 12
18 T.J. Hockenson 12 8
19 Cole Kmet 12 3
20 Rob Gronkowski 11 10

The rookie Pat Freiermuth impressed on a Steelers team that did not  throw the ball downfield due to weak-armed Ben Roethlisberger. That called up his number more often than expected, and it could change with a new quarterback taking over for 2022. But he’s already a big cog in the passing machine and in just his first season. Freiermuth will only get better.

Kyle Pitts also ranked well with 19 first-down catches. Anthony Firkser was an oddity in that he had a very marginal year (34-291-2) but well over half of his catches came on third down, after The first two downs usually went to Derrick Henry. Mike Gesicki turned in a career year (73-780-2) and stepped up not only in fantasy points but on how often the Fins looked his way when they needed a first down.

Third-down yards-per-catch

Tight End YPC Third Downs
1 Rob Gronkowski 17.0 11
2 Dallas Goedert 16.3 12
3 George Kittle 15.4 14
4 Mark Andrews 15.1 19
5 Dawson Knox 14.3 10
6 Kyle Pitts 13.6 19
7 Travis Kelce 12.5 22
8 Dalton Schultz 11.5 15
9 Jared Cook 11.3 13
10 Dan Arnold 11.3 11
11 Mike Gesicki 10.9 17
12 Tyler Higbee 9.9 14
13 Zach Ertz 9.4 16
14 C.J. Uzomah 9.4 10
15 Cole Kmet 8.9 12
16 Hunter Henry 8.9 15
17 Anthony Firkser 8.9 21
18 Tyler Conklin 8.8 14
19 Evan Engram 8.8 17
20 Gerald Everett 7.9 13

The average tight end gains under ten yards per catch, so producing more than that on the most critical down of a drive is a true measure of what value they bring to the passing scheme. And the top five – Rob Gronkowski, Dallas Goedert, George Kittle, Mark Andrews and Dawson Knox all averaged higher on third down than their overall averages. They got better when the pass was thrown on third down.

There are no major surprises here, but Dallas Goedert’s hefty 16.3-yard-average impressed more considering the offense around him.

Third-down success rate

Player Success Third Downs First Downs YPC TD
1 Dallas Goedert 100% 12 12 16.3 1
2 Hunter Henry 93% 15 14 8.9 4
3 Rob Gronkowski 91% 11 10 17.0 4
4 Dalton Schultz 87% 15 13 11.5 2
5 Travis Kelce 86% 22 19 12.5 4
6 Jared Cook 85% 13 11 11.3 3
7 Dawson Knox 80% 10 8 14.3 3
8 Mark Andrews 79% 19 15 15.1 1
9 Tyler Higbee 79% 14 11 9.9 3
10 Mike Gesicki 76% 17 13 10.9 0
11 George Kittle 71% 14 10 15.4 1
12 Gerald Everett 69% 13 9 7.9 2
13 Zach Ertz 69% 16 11 9.4 1
14 Kyle Pitts 68% 19 13 13.6 0
15 T.J. Hockenson 67% 12 8 8.4 1
16 Dan Arnold 64% 11 7 11.3 0
17 C.J. Uzomah 60% 10 6 9.4 2
18 Pat Freiermuth 58% 24 14 6.9 2
19 Evan Engram 53% 17 9 8.8 2
20 Anthony Firkser 48% 21 10 8.9 1
21 Tyler Conklin 36% 14 5 8.8 0
22 Cole Kmet 25% 12 3 8.9 0
23 Noah Fant 24% 17 4 7.2 1

Once again, Dallas Goedert bubbled up to the top as the only tight end that logged a first down each time he caught a pass on a third down. Hunter Henry (93%) and Dalton Schultz (87%) did not gain  many yards on third down but were more successful than most. Any tight end with more than 50% success on third down is notable for their team, but the Top-10 were all 75%.

Pat Freiermuth fell in this metric, and worse yet, he only gained 6.9 yards per catch. Such was the Steelers passing game last year. Noah Fant also fell badly in this measurement with only four first downs despite 17 third-down passes.

The most notable here were Goedert, Henry, and Schultz. Jared Cook rated well but at 34 years old, may not be back. That could get more work for Donald Parham, who caught three third-down passes  and two were touchdowns.

Micah Parsons tops ESPN’s list of top rookies in 2021

ESPN ranked Micah Parsons as the NFL’s top-rated rookie in the 2021 season.

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Former Penn State linebacker Micha Parsons has just turned in one of the best rookie seasons the NFL has seen, at least on the defensive side of the football, in a long time. And the accolades are beginning to pour in for the Dallas Cowboys rookie as a result. Fresh off being named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association, Parsons has also topped a ranking of the NFL’s top rookies compiled by ESPN.

Parsons was the only defensive player in ESPN’s top 5, and one of four defensive players in the top 10. Parsons gained national recognition as one of the NFL’s top rookies this season after dominating in his starting role in the middle of the Cowboys defense. The performance of Parsons in his rookie season even had him in the conversation for overall defensive player of the year, although TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers appears to be trending toward collecting that honor.

Here is what ESPN had to say about Parsons at the top of its list;

Parsons is enormously disruptive with consistent efficiency in the pass rush. He was one of six players in the league with at least 13 sacks — 10.5 of which came after Week 8 — and was just 1.5 sacks from Jevon Kearse’s rookie record. Plus, Parsons was reliable in coverage and a point-of-attack defender in the run game, with the range to chase down ball carriers even when the play was designed to run away from him. Few, if any, defensive players in the NFL showed consistent excellence across such an expansive job description, let alone a rookie.

Surprisingly, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was ranked fifth on this same list by ESPN. Chase set the rookie record for most receiving yards in a season, and he did so in 16 games without the need of the extra game on the regular-season schedule.

Another former Penn State defensive star, Odafe Oweh of the Baltimore Ravens, landed in the “Keep an eye on” category. Former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth also fell into this category after his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth reveals what pumps him up post-catch

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth says this gets him FIRED UP after a catch.

It didn’t take long for Steelers Nation to adorn tight end Pat Freiermuth with a nickname.

Just as fans chanted “HEEEAAATH!” after Pittsburgh Steelers great Heath Miller made a play, they chant “MUUUUUTH!” when Freiermuth does.

The rookie said that teammate Cam Heyward pointed it out after making one of his first catches this season. “It was low,” Freiermuth told Steelers.com reporter Missi Matthews in an interview this season. “There were barely any people [chanting it], and I was confused, but I caught on pretty quick.”

Freiermuth said it got more noticeable as the season went on. “It gives me energy after I make a catch, and I love it.”

Freiermuth much rather prefers Muth over the other nickname he’s heard since high school.

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“I was called Baby Gronk, but I like Muth a lot better,” Freiermuth said.

When you’re a towering tight end born and raised a Patriots fan just outside of Boston, you’re bound to be called “Baby Gronk.”

It sounds as though the nickname Freiermuth loathes is fading with every catch.

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Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth: ‘See yinz Monday night’

MUUUUUUUUTH!!!

It appears that the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a missing piece of their offensive puzzle back ahead of their critical matchup with the Browns this week.

Pat Freiermuth self-declared he’s out of concussion protocol on his Instagram account. The rookie tight end posted a color rush picture on his IG page tonight with the caption, “See yinz Monday night.”

Freiermuth’s presence — especially in the red zone — was sorely missed as the Steelers were pummeled by the Kansas City Chiefs. Freiermuth was sidelined by a concussion he sustained in Week 17 at the hands of the Titans. It was the first game missed of his pro career and the second concussion in 30 days. Freiermuth took a big hit toward the end of the Bengals game but was good to go for the next game.

It’ll be great to have the playmaker back in the lineup. Freiermuth has scored seven of the team’s 21 passing touchdowns this season.

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Six points with David Dorey

Friday’s quick look at six fantasy items to know

There are fewer roster changes as we move forward through the season, but there will start to be some in the final weeks of the season when teams review their rosters for the following year. Especially the teams that are lowest in the standings. For this week, here are six items I thinking about heading into Sunday for Week 12.

1.) QB Zach Wilson / Elijah Moore (NYJ) – The Jets placed Joe Flacco and Mike White on the reserve/COVID list, and Zach Wilson starts for the first time since Week 7 when he injured his PCL. He needs to show something more than he did over his first five games. The Jets spun through three quarterbacks over the previous five games, and each had better games than Wilson. Joe Flacco (291 yards, 2 TD), Mike White (405 yards, 3 TD), and even Josh Johnson (317 yards, 3 TD).

In Wilson’s absence, Elijah Moore scored five touchdowns and is currently on a three-game scoring streak. The next two opponents and their ranking versus quarterbacks are the Texans (No. 24) and the Eagles (Mo.27). Wilson was the No.2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He doesn’t have many excuses when literally every replacement quarterback turns in better performances. Having Michael Carter out should prompt even more passing.

2.) RB Rex Burkhead (HOU) – Picking through the bargain bin of the Texans’ backfield doesn’t seem like a profitable move, but the way  running backs continue to drop, the bar is lower for what merits a scrape onto your roster. The Texans are trying new things as their season implodes and they just gave Burkhead 18 carries for 40 yards in the win over the Titans. The only Texan running back with more than 14 carries was Mark Ingram (twice). He’s gone, Scottie Phillips landed on injured reserve, Phillip Lindsay was cut, and the only remaining backs are Burkhead, David Johnson, and Royce Freeman was claimed off waivers two weeks ago but never used.

The Texans play the No. 32 defense versus running backs in the Jets this week and the No. 31 defense in Seattle in Week 14. Burkhead looks like a handful of fantasy points from a waiver wire that’s been stripped in each of the last 11 weeks.

3.) QB Cam Newton (CAR)  – The Panthers’ offense hasn’t met expectations thanks to Sam Darnold and the injury to Christian McCaffrey. Adding Cam Newton in Week 10 helped the win in Arizona, but then his first start was a loss to Washington. But he was one of the better fantasy plays of the day with 46 yards and a score as a rusher, and 189 yards and two touchdowns as a passer. Granted – Washington is one of the lowest-ranked defenses versus quarterbacks, but Newton’s first start since last year was encouraging.

D.J. Moore (5-50, TD) had one of his best fantasy performances of the year, thanks to his first score since Week 4.  Robby Moore was held to five catches for 30 yards, but his six targets were encouraging. The Dolphins are the No. 28 defense and should allow Newton to once again perform well. His usage of Moore and Anderson will be notable.

4.) RB Dontrell Hilliard (TEN) – Grabbed everyone’s attention when he turned in seven carries for 35 yards and eight catches for 47 yards in the loss to the Texans. Hilliard was on the Houston roster last year (9-48) and spent two years in Cleveland. He was a practice squad call-up last week when Jeremy McNichol was out with a concussion, and the Titans wanted fresher legs than Adrian Peterson and D’Onta Foreman.

The Titans released Peterson, and Hilliard was relied on much more than the other two backs last week. How McNichol figures in if he returns from his concussion will likely dig into Hilliard’s workload, but the Titans are considering adding kick returns to Hilliard’s plate. Newly signed Golden Tate may also see special teams work as well. Hilliard faces a very tough Patriots this week, but his role as a receiver should continue. Hilliard has a chance to earn an ongoing roster spot even when Derrick Henry returns, hopefully in the playoffs.

5.) TE  Pat Freiermuth (PIT) – Eric Ebron injured his knee and was reported to likely miss extended time. The rookie Freiermuth stepped up in the last month with four touchdowns and at least four receptions in each game. The Steelers offense is likely to undergo a lot of change next season, but Freiermuth is shifting the scheme to include a tight end and seeing up to nine targets per game. The next two opponents are the Bengals and Ravens and both are below average versus the position. The Steelers have long featured a great set of wideouts, but that looks to be changing.

6.) QB Trey Lance (SF) –  He’s a forgotten man this season despite being the  1.03 pick in the NFL draft. All four of the other first-round quarterbacks are starters. Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones led their respective teams but not Lance. His only start was Week 5 playing in Arizona for a tough debut where he injured his knee.  Jimmy Garoppolo has held onto the job with the 49ers rising back up the standings.  Jimmy G. throws for a couple of scores in all the recent games, so there’s been no need to move on though there were calls for it just a few weeks ago.

The 49ers are still in wild-card contention at 5-5, and they may not bother with starting Lance while they could still see the post-season and Lance is the rawest of those four other first-round picks. What could also come into play is that Garoppolo spent the last  four years with the 49ers. In that time, he lasted more than six games only once. And he’s already had nine starts. Lance showed up last week with three runs for four yards in his first action since Week 5. It’s very rare for a third-overall pick to spend the first season on the sideline.

DFS Fantasy Football: Favorite Pro Plays – Week 10

WinDailySports’ CEO Jason Mezrahi checks in with his top Week 10 DFS fantasy football for FanDuel and DraftKings

Top-ranked daily fantasy sports pro Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite DFS plays at various salary ranges for Week 10 of the NFL season. We are back for another year of DFS domination and we have some new tools to take advantage of from my team over at WinDailySports.com.
 
Our projection model, lineup optimizer, and data tools have been revamped and back tested to start the season off right. So what I will do in this article is list some of our highest projected players based off raw points and our highest point-per-dollar plays based on DraftKings.com pricing. Special Huddle Member Discount: If you would like to give our membership at Win Daily a try, take advantage of a FREE 2-week promotion where you will gain an all access gold pass to our DFS package. Use promo code “thehuddle” at checkout for 2 weeks FREE for both our DFS Gold Package. Sign up now.
 
 
These are some of the players Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for this weekend’s slate.

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

$7,600 DRAFTKINGS
$8,300 FANDUEL

Tom Terrific or Tompa Brady … whatever the Goat is being called these days doesn’t change much with regards to his fantasy production. Will he finish as the top quarterback on the slate? The matchup looks great, but it also does for Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers and others. What I can tell you is Tom has as safe a floor as any of the top quarterbacks roughly sitting around 20 points, and he has a ceiling of 40. The man has averaged 27.6 and is in the race, which I’m sure he wants to achieve, for NFL MVP. Brady has 2,650 yards passing with 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions. The man is balling, and I guess 40 is the new 20 in football years. The matchup versus the Washington Football team is great. Washington ranks 32nd against opposing quarterbacks and is allowing a league-worst 286.8 passing yards per game. I will have both cash and tournament stacks with Brady paired with both Chris Godwin (if he plays) and Mike Evans in Week 10. 

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

$6,900 DRAFTKINGS
$8,100 FANDUEL

There are a lot of quarterbacks coming off shocking losses and some controversy in Week 10, and I want shares of all of them. One of the biggest surprises was the Cowboys nearly getting shut out by the Broncos, outside of a couple late drives in a meaningless fourth quarter. The Cowboys were embarrassed, and I’m sure they have enough bulletin board material to come back with a vengeance in Week 10. The Falcons are a team I want to consistently pick on as they have a capable offense that can score combined with a below-average defense. The Falcons are allowing 26 points per game and that trend should continue this week. We have a game total of 55, which should lead to fantasy goodness for Dak and the Cowboys in Week 10. 

Running Backs

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

$7,900 DRAFTKINGS
$9,400 FANDUEL

This rookie has total control of the Steelers backfield and you will hardly see him on the sidelines while Big Ben is under center. All his metrics are through the roof, and it gives me confidence to roll him knowing that even in a bad game we can expect 20 points on DraftKings. Now let’s look at the upside that the Lions bring to the table. Detroit ranks 31st against opposing running backs and 31st in scoring by allowing 29 points per game. The Steelers to start the season have faced some tough matchups against some good to great defenses, which has limited Harris at times for those big breakout games. But this game is different and should set up nicely for a 30-plus-point performance, if everything goes as planned. My prediction is a career-high, 125-plus-yard rushing performance and two touchdowns, which will be a nice landing spot in both tournaments and cash games.

D’Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns

$4,700 DRAFTKINGS
$5,400 FANDUEL

We do need some value on this slate and there is none safer than Johnson at the running back spot. The Browns are a run-first offense and any starting running back is a plug-and-play option for me. The price is right for Johnson, and the Patriots rank 20th against the opposing running back on the season. This won’t be a fast-paced game, but the last time Johnson assumed the lead role in Cleveland he torched a better defense in the Broncos for 146 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. I will take a repeat performance of that at this price tag and role with Johnson in both cash games and tournaments.  

Wide receivers

Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

$7,900 DRAFTKINGS
$8,700 FANDUEL

I have a pretty, pretty, pretty good feeling (as Larry David would say) that Rodgers will want to make a statement on the field and that means a big day is coming for Adams. He has two monster games on the season, and the rest have been rather pedestrian. I have this one pegged as the third-best matchup that the Seattle Seahawks present with Russell Wilson back at quarterback. Wilson doesn’t play defense, of course, so some may wonder why I even mentioned him. The reason being is the Seahawks can now push tempo and pace with someone who can go blow for blow versus Rodgers and the Packers. The over is set for 49, and as long as the weather is clear, we should see a tight, 50-plus-point game in which I want shares of. The Seahawks defense is allowing close to a league worst in both passing and total yardage, which leaves me to believe we will see a 100-plus-yard performance from Adams in Week 10.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

$6,900 DRAFTKINGS
$7,400 FANDUEL

With Antonio Brown trending towards not playing in Week 10 a ton of my lineups will have shares of either Evans or Godwin. With Godwin missing practices on both Wednesday and Thursday, this foot injury has me concerned that he will either miss or will be limited on Sunday. With that being the case, I will be loading up on shares of Mike Evans. He is a red zone threat, and whenever he has been presented the opportunity to be the highlight of this offense he has achieved greatness. All signs are pointing towards a big week with a matchup versus the Washington Football Team. Washington’s defense is bad, regardless of any metric you judge them by. They rank 32nd in PPR at defending wide receivers, 32nd in passing yards allowed, 29th in total yardage, and 29th in points allowed. Expect a big day from Evan in Week 10. 

Tight ends

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

$5,800 DRAFTKINGS
$6,900 FANDUEL

The tight end pool is shallow in Week 10. I have one goal in mind: As pessimistic as it sounds, I want to avoid land mines and simply find ways to hit value at different price levels. I’m looking for safe floors to land on where my expectations are 2-3x their price. Pitts has been up and down all season but lands himself a great matchup in Week 10. After the first time Ridley got ruled out, everyone loaded up on Pitts and he disappointed. The same thing happened last week as well, and now most of those people who were burned won’t go back a third time. The Cowboys rank 20th against opposing tight ends and are currently allowing 270 passing yards per game. With the Over/Under set for 55 in this matchup, I expect a high-scoring game with the Falcons playing from behind. The targets have been there for Pitts as he received 40 targets in the past five games. The upside is there along with the floor, so Pitts will be my most rostered tight end in Week 10.

Pat Freiermuth, Philadelphia Eagles

$3,900 DRAFTKINGS
$5,100 FANDUEL

Big Pat is a threat in this offense, and he has emerged as one of, if not the, favorite targets of Big Ben. Freiermuth catches tough balls and immediately found his role in this offense. He is starting to rack up targets and earning red zone looks. He scored three touchdowns in the past two games and has double-digit fantasy points in all three games. The Lions are ranked 11th against opposing tight ends and are allowing 29 points per game, which is the second highest in the league. This should be a faster-paced game for the Steelers, who have had tough matchups over the past five games. Freiermuth provides a nice value and floor combined with some upside in Week 10. 

Good luck in Week 10, and if you ever have any questions, please hit me up on Twitter!

Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than eight years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, expert chat, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.

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Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 10

Making sense of recent fantasy football performances.

Week 9 was the crazy, unpredictable, off-the-rails week we see every NFL season.

Ten of 14 pointspread underdogs covered and four touchdown-plus favorites lost outright.

The fantasy realm certainly wasn’t spared from the wackiness:

  • Journeyman New York Jets backup Josh Johnson was pressed into action Thursday night and wound up scoring more fantasy points (29.6) than Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow combined (26.3).
  • Arizona Cardinals No. 2 running back James Conner paced all players, regardless of position, with a career-high 40.3 fantasy points.
  • Elijah Moore, Olamide Zaccheus and Malik Turner were three of the eight wide receivers who finished the week with 20 or more fantasy points.
  • The top 10 highest-scoring fantasy tight ends of the week included a trio of Los Angeles Chargers in Stephen Anderson, Donald Parham Jr. and Jared Cook.

Like we said, unforeseeable unruliness.

But which of the eye-catching (or eyesore) Week 9 fantasy performances are we buying as indicators for the rest of the season, and which are we brushing off as one-week abnormalities?

Let us delve deeper into five of the more notable fantasy performances from the wild and wacky Week 9 …

Patrick Mahomes finished 24th among quarterbacks on the week with 12.1 fantasy points (Huddle Performance scoring).

Mahomes somehow got outscored by his quarterback counterpart in the same game, and that was Green Bay Packers second-year QB Jordan Love, who completed only 19-of-34 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown for 15.8 fantasy points himself.

Over the last four seasons, Mahomes’ 12.1 fantasy points Sunday marked his regular-season, full-game low point and only the fifth time in 62 career complete games, including the postseason, in which he’s failed to total at least 15 points.

BUYING or brushing off: Stunningly, two of those five aforementioned sub-15-point outings have come in the last three weeks and were sandwiched around an 18.75-point game in Week 8.

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Mahomes has thrown for two TDs and two interceptions in those three games and has averaged fewer than 5.89 yards per attempt. His career average is 8.1 yards per attempt.

Mahomes, obviously hasn’t been connecting for nearly as many big plays, but even the rest of the Chiefs’ aerial game is off as he’s completed 60.4 percent or fewer of his passes in each of the last three weeks — again well below his 65.9 career completion percentage.

Even more alarming, Mahomes and the Chiefs have the toughest remaining fantasy QB schedule in the league, according to The Huddle’s nifty Strength of Schedule tool.

Add it all up, and we’ve come to the shocking conclusion that Mahomes is no longer a set-it-and-forget-it, locked-in QB1 every week, depending on the week and your other options.

Joe Burrow scored 14.2 fantasy points in Sunday’s 41-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns, coming in 23rd at the position for the week.

It was a season-worst showing for the second-year Cincy QB, who posted only his second sub-20-point outing of the campaign.

Burrow entered the game on a serious fantasy roll, having thrown for three touchdowns and posted at least 24.85 fantasy points in three straight games. But even though the Bengals defense surrendered a season-high 41 points and the opposing Browns came into the contest allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Burrow couldn’t keep up. He failed to throw a TD pass for the first time in his last 12 games, dating back to last season, while tossing a pair of interceptions.

In eight previous games this season, Burrow had at thrown for at least two TDs.

Buying or BRUSHING OFF: The Browns, fresh off a division home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and dealing with the Odell Beckham Jr. distraction last week, clearly entered Sunday’s game as a team on a mission and played like it.

Burrow was sacked a season-high-matching five times and was hit 12 times while completing 28-of-40 pass attempts for 282 yards.

Go-to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was targeted a game-high 13 times, but they only netted six completions for 49 yards and his third touchdown-less outing of the season.

In reality, though, Burrow is going to endure some ups and downs. He’s a second-year QB, who’s made 19 total starts with last season’s knee injury, and even with Sunday’s poor showing, he remains fantasy’s 10th-best quarterback with an average of 23.2 points per game.

And pairing Burrow’s talent with that of his young supporting cast, there’s simply too much upside to be had with the second-year passer.

James Conner scored a trio of TDs en route to 40.3 fantasy points — three more than any other player in Week 9, quarterbacks included.

Conner has now played in 59 career games, but Sunday’s showing produced a career pinnacle in fantasy points (point-per-reception scoring) as he topped 30 points for only the fifth time in five seasons.

To get there, it took 21 rushes for 96 yards and two TDs and five catches on five targets for 77 yards and another score to power the Cards’ 31-17 road upset win of the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Starting QB Kyler Murray and leading wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green were all absent Sunday due to injury/illness while — more significantly for Conner — starting running back Chase Edmonds left after only one 3-yard carry with what was later diagnosed as a high-ankle sprain.

That left Conner to shoulder the backfield load and he wound up accounting for 26 of Arizona’s 36 running back touches. Conner entered the contest averaging 12.4 touches, 49 total yards and 11.5 fantasy points per game.

BUYING or brushing off: With his three TDs Sunday, Conner leapfrogged the injured and idle Derrick Henry and standout wideout Cooper Kupp for the league touchdown lead with 11.

On Monday, word then came down that Edmonds would miss multiple games — likely to include an injured reserve stint — with his high-ankle sprain. Prior to Sunday’s one-carry game, Edmonds averaged 13.1 touches and 79.8 yards from scrimmage over the Cards’ first eight contests.

Now Conner moves into the lead role on the league’s second-highest scoring offense (32.8 points per game) with Eno Benjamin in relief. And if Sunday’s explosion is any kind of indication, Conner will be a weekly RB1 start as long as Edmonds remains sidelined.

Conner hasn’t been in that role since 2018 in his second season with the Steelers when he finished sixth among running backs with 280 total PPR points (21.5 per game).

L.A. Chargers WR Mike Williams totaled 7.8 fantasy points Sunday and wound up 46th in Week 9 scoring at the position.

In the Bolts’ 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Philly, Williams caught two of his five targets for 58 yards and no TDs. One of his catches went for 49 yards, and he did finish second on the team in receiving yards and targets, but four other L.A. pass-catchers finished with more fantasy points, including the three aforementioned tight ends.

And if Williams’ five-target, two-reception stat line sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Those have been his exact totals from each of his last three games, totaling six catches, 104 yards, no scores and 16.4 fantasy points during that span.

In four of his first five games (Weeks 1-3 and 5), Williams had at least nine targets, seven receptions, 82 receiving yards and 22.1 PPR points while totaling six TD grabs in those four contests.

But in his other four outings (Weeks 4 and 7-9), Williams hasn’t more than five targets, two receptions, 58 receiving yards or 7.8 fantasy points while failing to score.

Buying or BRUSHING OFF: Just barely as we’re holding off for another game or so to see if things turn around.

Williams’ numbers certainly are trending in the wrong direction, and there have been reports that a nagging knee issue has helped slow him down in recent weeks.

But we remain big believers in the Chargers’ passing game. QB Justin Herbert ranks fourth with 211 total completions and fifth at the position with an average of 26.4 fantasy points per outing — and the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Williams looked way too good over the first five games of the season to believe he’s now only a WR 3/4.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth totaled 21.4 fantasy points Monday night to wind up pacing all Week 9 tight ends.

The rookie tight end reeled in five of his team high-matching six targets for 43 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Steelers’ 29-27 win over the Bears.

It was the third straight game with at least 12.8 fantasy points for Freiermuth, who has totaled 16 receptions for 145 yards and three TDs during that span, which includes Pittsburgh’s Week 7 bye. It’s also an average of 16.2 fantasy points during that stretch, which is tops among tight ends who have played multiple games since Week 6.

BUYING or brushing off: Most definitely.

It’s the tight end position, first and foremost. Nothing more needs to be added there.

And it’s also the perfect offense for a tight end to thrive in.

Aging QB Ben Roethlisberger entered the week ranked 25th among passers with a 6.6-yard average per attempt, and one of his prime short-area targets of recent seasons, WR JuJu Smith Schuster, was lost for the season in Week 5 with a shoulder injury.

Enter the Penn State rookie who has stepped up and showed out in the Steelers’ three straight wins.

Put it all together, and that makes Freiermuth a TE1 going forward.

Monday Night Football featured big plays by former Nittany Lions

Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth and Allen Robinson had some big moments on Monday Night Football

It is always great to see some of the former stars from Penn State do well at the next level. On Monday night, two former Penn State stars came up with some big plays as the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to get past the Chicago Bears in the national spotlight. Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Friermuth continued to shine in his rookie season for the Steelers with a pair of touchdown catches in the win, while former Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson had some big plays to help the Bears make a push.

Freiermuth scored his first of two touchdowns early in the second quarter as the Steelers took a two-score lead on the Bears.

With the Bears chipping away at the Pittsburgh lead later in the second quarter, Freiermuth once again proved to be a reliable option for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisburger. Freiermuth’s second touchdown of the game came later in the second quarter to add some cushion to the Pittsburgh lead before halftime.

Nov 8, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson (12) makes a catch against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Arthur Maulet (35) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 29-27. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Late in the fourth quarter with the Bears trailing Justin Fields would connect with Allen Robinson for a 32-yard gain.

Robinson finished the game with 4 catches for 68 yards while Pat Freiermuth finished with 5 catches for 43 yards.

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Steelers offense is finding its identity in the most surprising place

Despite an aging quarterback, a rookie running back, and a questionable line, the Pittsburgh Steelers have finally begun to find their offensive identity.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have finally begun to find their offensive identity. For all the offseason talk of a supposedly weak offensive line, an aging quarterback and rookies at skill positions, things are starting to click in ways not even Steelers’ superfans could have imagined.

And it’s all starting with that so-called weak line.

With the exception of a handful of mistakes by young guys still finding their way, this offensive line has been the source of the Steelers’ offensive success. They struggled early and struggled often, but as we approach the halfway point of the season they’re finding their form and playing to their potential. Their mistakes are becoming fewer, their successes are more regular. In turn, the Steelers have returned to their run-first approach, opening up things in the air for their 39-year-old quarterback.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but it’s worth celebrating when they do things they wouldn’t have even come close to sniffing through the first few games. Like this progression:

They moved as a unit. They didn’t back down. They created holes for Najee to exploit. He did just that.

All day.

Harris had 26 carries for 91 yards and a rushing touchdown. That would not have happened if the line hadn’t set up Harris, even if the rookie has been a behemoth of a back in his rookie year.

And that’s all before taking into account the contributions from Diontae Johnson:

Even more notably, tight end Pat Freiermuth was a beast:

There will continue to be growing pains for this offense. But they are certainly trending in the right direction at the right time. And if they can keep heating up despite the winter weather, they may still have some playoff-push left in them.

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