Pat Freiermuth or Romeo Doubs: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Freiermuth brings the safer role; Doubs brings the better scoring environment

Freiermuth gets the steadier workload, and SI.com (Steelers On SI) 2026-09-17 supports his primary-target and red-zone role after Week 1. Doubs has the stronger scoring environment and nominally softer matchup, but his complementary role and quiet opener make that upside fragile. The call is genuinely level: Freiermuth risks being capped by Pittsburgh's modest total, while Doubs risks disappearing before his matchup can matter.

What flips it: A confirmed jump in Doubs' route and target role.

Sources: SI.com (Steelers On SI) · Sep 17, 2026

AI editor

Pat Freiermuth

Pat Freiermuth

TE24PITvs NE

Projected Points

Sit
Romeo Doubs

Romeo Doubs

WR51NEvs PIT

Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium

Pat Freiermuth’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
-101 / -126
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 30.5
-115 / -115
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+380
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Romeo Doubs’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
+110 / -140
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 39.5
-113 / -111
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+290
Anytime Touchdown Props →
PIT@
NESun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
PIT@
NESun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM ETView the game →

Why Pat Freiermuth

Sit

TE1 in pass-catching role. Reliable chain-mover with red-zone size and dependable hands.

Sit — bench-tier TE at consensus TE24: NE is the 2nd-toughest matchup vs TEs, 14% target share.

  • His Week 1 touchdown and perfect five-catch line support a real red-zone role, not empty volume.
  • A 73% snap role gives him the sturdier floor in a matchup where both DvP samples lack confidence.

Latest on Freiermuth

Status

Freiermuth is positioned to remain a primary target in Week 2 after catching all five of his targets for 46 yards and the offense's only touchdown in Week 1, especially if Pittman is limited or out.

SI.com (Steelers On SI) · Sep 17, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Romeo Doubs

Toss-Up· medium

WR2 on the outside. Reliable hands and red-zone body control, complementary target share.

WR51 with a 10% target share on 56% of snaps, drawing the No. 1 DvP defense — not a 12-team PPR starter until the usage grows.

  • New England's higher scoring outlook gives Doubs more paths to a touchdown if his role expands.
  • His outside red-zone skill set can turn limited usage into a useful spike week.

The call

  • Role is the problem: 56% snap share and just a 10% target share means Doubs is the third or fourth option in this passing game, and 10.7 projected points lands him at WR51 — outside the ~40 WRs started weekly in a 12-team league.
  • The matchup grades as the single toughest for the position (1 of 32), though that's a 1-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so it's a mild negative rather than a disqualifier.
  • Game script is fine — 24.0 implied total as a 4.5-point favorite — but being favored trims volume, and Doubs needs volume, not efficiency, to clear his projection.
  • What tips it: a jump in target share toward the high teens or a confirmed bump in route participation would make him a legitimate flex.

Latest on Doubs

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricPat FreiermuthRomeo Doubs
Projected points
Consensus rankTE24WR51
Opponent vs positionNE · 2 of 321-game samplePIT · 1 of 321-game sample
Receptions2 of 321 of 32
Receiving Yards2 of 322 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 321 of 32
Targets2 of 321 of 32
Anytime TD1 of 321 of 32
Target share14%10%
Reception share21%0%
Implied total · spread19.5+4.524.0-4.5
Depth chartTE2WR1
Snap share73%56%
Start/Sit record—0–0+1 toss-up

Recent form

Pat Freiermuth — last 1 week

Week 1vs ATL

Romeo Doubs — last 1 week

Week 1vs SEA

Signal breakdown

  • 8.5 vs 10.6 projected PPR pointsRomeo Doubs +
  • Rank 24 vs 51Pat Freiermuth +
  • Opponent DvP rank 2 vs 1 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 19.5 vs 24.0 team pointsRomeo Doubs +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 73% vs 56% snap sharePat Freiermuth +

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