Freiermuth
TE · PIT vs CLE
Proj pts
10.3pts
market
Dulcich
TE · MIA vs MIN
Proj pts
8.4pts
market
Greg Dulcich or Pat Freiermuth: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Pat Freiermuth. Bench Greg Dulcich. Pat Freiermuth leads at 10.3. Greg Dulcich is the first one out, 1.8 short.
Crowd: started Freiermuth 33%
Highlights
Cons
- Low TE usage11% target share
- Thin volume3.6 targets/g
Cons
- Below your start line1.8 pts short
- Thin volume3.7 targets/g
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 6:00 AM ET
Why Pat Freiermuth
Start Pat Freiermuth — projects 10.3, a tough matchup vs CLE, with a rising role.
Pat Freiermuth projects 10.3 points on a 6.1–12.1 range. The matchup grades as tough against CLE. Usage: targets / game at 3.6. Net: Pat Freiermuth is start this week.
Working against Freiermuth: Low TE usage (11% target share), Thin volume (3.6 targets/g).
Where Freiermuth leads the head-to-head: Projection (10.3 vs 8.4); Floor (6.1 vs 4.9); Ceiling (12.1 vs 9.8); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (D+ vs D); Implied team total (20.5 vs 14.0); Last 3 avg (9.4 vs 6.0); Last 5 avg (9.4 vs 6.3); vs season (+1.7 vs -0.9); Boom rate (13% vs 11%); Snap share (52% vs 44%); Red zone targets (9 vs 7); Touchdown dependence (21% vs 9%); Grade vs TE (recency weighted) (D+ vs D); Implied total (20.5 vs 14.0).
Why Greg Dulcich
Sit Greg Dulcich — projects 8.4, a tough matchup vs MIN, but the role is cooling.
Greg Dulcich projects 8.4 points on a 4.9–9.8 range. The matchup grades as tough against MIN. Usage: targets / game at 3.7. Net: Greg Dulcich is a bench this week.
Working against Dulcich: Below your start line (1.8 pts short), Thin volume (3.7 targets/g).
Where Dulcich leads the head-to-head: Target share (15% vs 11%); Consistency (47% vs 18%); Bust rate (11% vs 27%); Targets / game (3.7 vs 3.6).
Recent form
Pat Freiermuth's last 3 games: PPR points 5.1, 7.4, 15.6 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).
Greg Dulcich's last 4 games: PPR points 7.1, 3.8, 3.7, 10.5 (oldest to newest).
Freiermuth has already beaten Dulcich's 8.4 projection in 1 of his 3; Dulcich has beaten Freiermuth's 10.3 in 1 of his 4.
Matchup
Pat Freiermuth (PIT) faces CLE, kickoff Thu 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 20.5, spread -2.5.
Greg Dulcich (MIA) faces MIN, kickoff Sun 4:05 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 14.0, spread +10.5.
What flips it
Freiermuth's edge is 1.9 points (10.3 to 8.4). Freiermuth's floor (6.1) sits under Dulcich's projection, so a quiet game from Freiermuth flips it. Confidence in the call: high.
How to read these numbers
- Confidence in the call
- How clear-cut this start/sit call is — how decisively the player beats the alternative he competes with (for a starter, the best player on your bench; for a bench player, the last one in your lineup), on both projected points and the overlap of their likely ranges. A clear play reads high; a genuine toss-up reads lower. It rates the decision, not the player’s own volatility, and is not a measured accuracy rate.
- Floor
- The 20th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Ceiling
- The 90th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Matchup grade
- The opponent’s points allowed to this position per game, weighted toward recent games, then graded on a curve across the 32 defenses.
- Implied team total
- The points the betting market expects this team to score, derived from the game total and the spread. Market-derived, not modelled by Nuvela.
- Trend
- The direction of his scoring across the trailing window, classified as heating, steady or cooling.
- Consistency
- The share of his games that landed within a set band of his own per-game average.
- Boom rate
- The share of his games that finished inside the top 12 scorers at his position for that week.
- Bust rate
- The share of his games that came in under half of what he was projected for that week.
- Defense funnel
- Whether the opponent’s rush defense and pass defense are far enough apart to push offenses one way. A gap inside the band reads Neutral.
- Game script projection
- The expected state of the game for his team — favoured, level or trailing — taken from the closing spread.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.