It has been a challenge for the Pittsburgh Steelers to win games this season, and one of the few dependable aspects of their offense has been tight end Pat Freiermuth. However, Steelers fans and fantasy football owners may have to get by without him Sunday when the Steelers play at Carolina.
The tight end is battling a foot injury and he did not participate in Thursday's practice session. He is a vital part of Pittsburgh's offense with 53 receptions for 630 yards and 2 touchdowns. Friermuth is the team's second leading receiver behind Diontae Johnson.
The Steelers are 5-8 and outside the playoff structure. They are 2 games behind the 7th-place New England Patriots, but 5 other teams are also chasing that last spot who are 5-8 or better. As a result, a playoff opportunity is unlikely for head coach Mike Tomlin's team, but the team is still technically alive.
If Pat Freiermuth can't play against the Panthers, the Steelers, Zach Gentry and Connor Heyward will get the opportunities to fill the spot. In addition to Freiermuth's status, it seems quite likely that rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett will also be out of action. Pickett (concussion) was limited in practice and the Steelers are most likely going to turn to Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph.
Trubisky has completed 100 of 158 passes for 1,073 yards with 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. While Trubisky has experience on his side, but he threw 3 interceptions in Pittsburgh's Week 14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Rudolph could be a better answer for the Steelers than Trubisky at this point in the season. Rudolph has yet to play this season, but he has played 17 games for the Steelers, including 10 as a starter.
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