Metcalf Cleared for Steelers-Bucs, but Freiermuth Is a Calf Risk
Metcalf shakes the illness tag and plays Sunday, while Freiermuth pops up questionable with a calf after leading Steelers TEs with 4 TDs.
Calf injury makes him a Sunday game-time call despite 4 TDs on the year.
- Metcalf cleared after being listed with an illness
- Freiermuth now questionable with a calf injury
- Freiermuth: 19 rec, 169 yds, 4 TD in 2026 (5 games)
- Metcalf: 19 rec, 225 yds, 1 TD in 2026 (5 games)
- Steelers 2.5-pt favorites at 1-4 Tampa Bay
Good news and a new wrinkle came out of Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Steelers confirmed DK Metcalf is healthy and will suit up Sunday after spending the week tagged as questionable with an illness. That clears the biggest question mark around their passing game heading into a trip to Tampa Bay.
The twist: Pat Freiermuth is now listed as questionable with a calf injury that didn't even appear on the prior day's report. It's unclear how or when he picked it up, which is exactly the kind of last-minute uncertainty fantasy managers hate on a Saturday night. The 3-2 Steelers are 2.5-point road favorites against the 1-4 Buccaneers.
What Metcalf's Clearance Means
Metcalf's status is the easy call. He's playing, and that's a relief for anyone who rolled him out this week. The production hasn't been loud yet — 19 catches for 225 yards and a lone touchdown through five games (2026 season), good for 49 PPR points. Our rankings have him at WR43 (No. 123 overall), so he's more of a flex-floor play than a weekly difference-maker right now. But against a Tampa Bay secondary, there's upside if the volume ticks up.
The Freiermuth Question
Freiermuth is the trickier situation and, frankly, the better fantasy asset. He's been Pittsburgh's red-zone magnet with 19 receptions for 169 yards and a team-leading four touchdowns (2026 season), piling up 60 PPR points. That lands him at TE8 (No. 83 overall) in our model — a genuine weekly starter at a thin position. A calf injury that surfaced out of nowhere is worth monitoring closely, because tight ends and calves rarely mix well.
For fantasy managers: Metcalf is a clean start as a flex or WR3 now that the illness is behind him. Freiermuth is a wait-and-see — don't drop a top-eight tight end over one cryptic injury tag, but have a streaming backup ready and watch the pregame reports. If he's active and moving fine, he's back in your lineup. If the calf keeps him limited or out, pivot without hesitation.
