Should I start Pat Freiermuth or Rashod Bateman in Week 8?

The market-based projections

Pat Freiermuth's market-based projection is 6.6 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 10 market sources. That is the 111th highest figure of the 210 players with a market-based projection.

Rashod Bateman's market-based projection is 6.4 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 113th highest figure of the 210 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Pat Freiermuth, and the board ranks him 124th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Rashod Bateman, and the board ranks him 126th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 7

Through Week 7, Pat Freiermuth has been on the field for 67 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 13 percent of the targets and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 9 of the offence's 58 third down targets, had 2 of its 7 chances inside the five and seen 10 of its 41 two minute targets.

His 33 targets have averaged 8.4 air yards.

In Week 5 against IND he carried 1 time for 1 yards, caught 5 of 7 targets for 44 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

In Week 6 against TB he caught 2 of 3 targets for 11 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against NO he caught 2 of 4 targets for 20 yards and did not score.

Through Week 7, Rashod Bateman has been on the field for 70 percent of BAL snaps, drawn 13 percent of the targets and had 4 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 4 of the offence's 56 third down targets, had 1 of its 25 chances inside the five and seen 9 of its 44 two minute targets.

His 26 targets have averaged 14.0 air yards.

In Week 5 against ATL he caught 5 of 6 targets for 62 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against CLE he caught 0 of 1 target for 0 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against CIN he caught 2 of 4 targets for 33 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Pat Freiermuth played 17 games and scored 113.6 PPR points, 6.7 a game, finishing TE25.

He caught 41 of 54 targets for 486 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 9 red zone targets.

That came to 3.2 targets a game, a 76 percent catch rate and 11.9 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 49 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Rashod Bateman played 13 games and scored 55.4 PPR points, 4.3 a game, finishing WR102.

He caught 19 of 38 targets for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 8 red zone targets.

That came to 2.9 targets a game, a 50 percent catch rate and 11.8 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 69 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Pat Freiermuth was available for 4 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Pat Freiermuth scored 6.7 PPR points a game and Rashod Bateman 4.3, 2.4 a game between them.

Pat Freiermuth finished TE25 and Rashod Bateman WR102, which are two different ladders.

Pat Freiermuth is a tight end and Rashod Bateman a wide receiver, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Pat Freiermuth is off in Week 9 and Rashod Bateman in Week 13, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.2 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.