Sit Pat Freiermuth in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 5.2 projected points lands 1.8 under the TE starter line.
- Projection
- 5.2 pts
- TE rank
- #19
- Matchup
- vs CLE
Pat Freiermuth's fantasy role in Week 8
Pat Freiermuth goes into Week 8 of the 2026 season as a bench stash most leagues are holding for the PIT. He is rostered in 55% of leagues and actually started in 28% of them, and we rank him TE19 on our own weekly board at 5.2 projected points.
Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 6% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 8 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs CLE. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting TE baseline of 7 points, his 5.2-point projection is 1.8 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Pat Freiermuth in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 5.2 projected points lands 1.8 under the TE starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another TE, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Pat Freiermuth (PIT TE), our TE19 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season vs CLE, projecting 5.2 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally wants fireworks, and 1.8 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. The vs CLE draw matters here — home snaps against CLE shape how often he's asked to do something. Roster share is bleeding 5.6% this week, which lines up with what the projection already told me. Only 55% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Sally keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Pat Freiermuth (PIT TE), our TE19 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season vs CLE, projecting 5.2 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina calls it a floor problem: 1.8 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. He grades 26% below the average weekly TE number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. CLE is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.