Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington has logged three receptions in each of his past two games and could be in line for additional opportunities against the division-rival Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Cleveland, while stingy against opposing wideouts, has been middle-of-the-road against tight ends this season. Back in Week 6, when the Steelers last faced the Browns, Washington took the field for 80% of offensive snaps and racked up 62 receiving yards. Pittsburgh will be without suspended receiver DK Metcalf on Sunday and, depending on the outcome of the Baltimore Ravens' game on Saturday, could choose to rest additional starters. Furthermore, Calvin Austin III (hamstring) has already been ruled out. Assuming Washington is active, he could be an important piece of the Steelers' passing attack. This makes him an intriguing streaming option in deeper fantasy formats, but Washington can remain on waiver wires in most redraft leagues.
Dec 26, 2025 9:12 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (concussion) has been cleared from the league's concussion protocol and has been upgraded to active for the Monday night contest against the visiting Miami Dolphins to close out Week 15 action, according to director of communications Burt Lauten. Washington was initially listed as questionable on the team's final injury report on Saturday, but he has since been cleared by an independent neurologist and will play against Miami. The 6-foot-7, 264-pounder should be treated as TE3 in fantasy despite his growing role in recent weeks. Washington has caught five of his seven targets for 79 yards in the last three games, but having to contend for targets with fellow TEs Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith every week makes him too hard to trust as a starter in fantasy.
Dec 14, 2025 12:19 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (concussion) logged a limited practice session on Saturday. He is officially listed as questionable to play in Monday's Week 15 contest against the Miami Dolphins. Washington has taken on a larger role lately, commanding at least four targets in three of his last six games. He ranks as the overall TE25 in PPR leagues during that span, which is one spot lower than teammate Pat Freiermuth and 26 spots higher than Jonnu Smith. The Dolphins have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2025, but with Washington and Freiermuth competing for opportunities, it's tough to trust any Pittsburgh tight end heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Dec 14, 2025 11:08 AM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (concussion) was a limited participant in practice on Thursday, and he remains in concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's Week 15 contest against the Miami Dolphins. Washington exited last week's game early after catching just one pass for 12 yards. He had looked solid in his nine previous contests, though, totaling 22 catches, 276 yards, and one touchdown during that span. The 24-year-old has quietly passed Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth in terms of snap count, but his fantasy production has still left a lot to be desired. He can be dropped in redraft leagues and stashed in deeper dynasty formats.
Dec 11, 2025 10:15 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that tight end Darnell Washington is in the league's concussion protocol. Washington hauled one one catch for 12 yards in Pittsburgh's win over the Baltimore Ravens before leaving with a concussion on Sunday. The 24-year-old has been operating as the Steelers' TE1 over the previous three weeks, playing 71.7% of the snaps and recording eight receptions for 134 yards on 11 targets. In the first nine games, Washington played only 56.9% of the snaps with 14 receptions (21 targets) for 142 yards and a touchdown. The third-year tight end will need to clear the protocol to suit up for the Week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. If Washington is ruled out, Pat Freiermuth would be the primary beneficiary, with Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward also seeing an uptick in playing time.
Dec 9, 2025 1:34 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (concussion) has officially been ruled out for the remainder of his team's Week 14 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens due to a concussion. The 24-year-old hauled in one catch for 12 yards on one target before exiting the game. Entering the week, Washington had recorded 22 receptions for 276 yards and a touchdown on 32 targets across 12 games played in 2025. With Washington sidelined, Steelers tight ends Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Connor Heyward will all likely see an uptick in playing time for the remainder of Week 14. Both Smith and Freiermuth could be more appealing streaming options for fantasy managers in future weeks if Washington remains out beyond Sunday.
Dec 7, 2025 2:43 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington led the team in receiving yards last week and should remain involved against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. While the Ravens have been solid against opposing tight ends this season, Washington's blend of size and athleticism may be important for Pittsburgh to keep pace with its division rival. The third-year pro has emerged as a reliable option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist) and leads all Steelers tight ends in yards after catch and red zone targets. That said, projecting usage remains tricky with Washington sharing snaps alongside Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth. He's not a viable option in most redraft formats, but desperate fantasy managers in deeper leagues can consider streaming him in this AFC North clash.
Dec 5, 2025 10:11 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington has seen a slight uptick in playing time over the past two weeks, playing 69.3% of offensive snaps and recording six receptions on seven targets for 89 yards. Up until that point, Washington was playing 56.9% of snaps and had 14 receptions for 142 yards on 21 targets in nine games. The 24-year-old tight end is an outstanding blocker who has also flashed incredible ball-in-hand ability as a receiver, consistently making defenders look silly when trying to tackle him. Washington has an elite 0.35 missed tackles forced per reception this season, best among all tight ends and tied for second among wide receivers with at least 20 targets this season, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. He doesn't see a ton of targets as the No. 2 tight end option behind Pat Freiermuth, but he has some appeal in deeper leagues in Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills with Aaron Rodgers (wrist) returning.
Nov 29, 2025 12:31 AM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington continues to trend upward, and he'll look to carry his momentum into Sunday's Week 12 contest against the Chicago Bears. Washington played 71 percent of the offensive snaps last week, which was his highest mark since Week 6. He also caught four of his five targets for a season-high 67 yards, delivering the first double-digit scoring total (PPR) of his career. Washington does still have some competition for targets from Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth, but it appears that he has surpassed both of them in the pecking order given his volume and workload over the last few weeks. Washington is right up there with DK Metcalf as Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets, which will give him some low-end TE1 upside in deeper leagues going forward. Perhaps the more important question for this week is whether Washington will be catching passes from Rodgers, who missed Wednesday's practice with a thumb injury, or Mason Rudolph. Either way, he's a top-25 tight end in fantasy football, and he has top-15 upside against a Bears defense allowing the eighth-most receptions to the position in 2025.
Nov 20, 2025 12:26 AM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington logged four receptions for 67 yards on five targets in a 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. While Washington didn't have an incredibly productive fantasy outing, he made plenty of noise with a massive play in the second quarter that set up a Steelers field goal. Washington caught a short pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist) and ran through three defenders to gain 31 yards before stepping out of bounds. He later picked up 17 yards on a throw from backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. It will be hard to trust Pittsburgh's offense against the Chicago Bears in Week 12, especially if Rodgers is unable to play, but Washington has looked great when given opportunities this year and could be worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues.
Nov 18, 2025 10:18 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers big-bodied tight end Darnell Washington caught his only touchdown of the season and the second of his career in the first matchup against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 16, but it came on just three catches (five targets) for two yards. Since then, the 6-foot-7, 264-pound unit has caught five passes for 58 yards and no touchdowns on seven targets as the team's TE3 behind Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. In nine total games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL, Washington has just 14 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown on 21 targets. His size sets him apart when quarterback Aaron Rodgers is facing pressure and he just needs to throw the ball up to a big target, but otherwise, Washington just isn't seeing enough volume to be anything more than a TE3 in fantasy, even against a Bengals defense that has allowed the most half-PPR points per game to the TE position.
Nov 15, 2025 5:23 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (foot) returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session due to a foot injury, according to Alan Saunders of PGH Steelers Now. Washington's return to practice on Thursday gives him a chance to play this coming Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. The hulking 6-foot-7, 264-pounder is in his third year in the NFL with Pittsburgh and has recorded 13 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown on his 20 targets through eight games this year. Washington's size makes him an intriguing red-zone target for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but his volume has been limited behind fellow tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. Washington should be able to suit up in Week 10, but he'll remain a touchdown-dependent TE3 in fantasy. UPDATE: Washington practiced in full on Thursday.
Nov 6, 2025 5:50 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington hauled in four of six targets for 43 yards in a Week 9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. While Washington's box score output may look modest, his utilization on Sunday was noteworthy. Although he and quarterback Aaron Rodgers were unable to connect for a touchdown, Rodgers looked his way on two consecutive passes inside the five-yard line in the first quarter. Washington later saw another red-zone opportunity, catching a pass and taking it 13 yards before being brought down at the goal line. On the season, Washington now has seven red-zone targets, tied for the 13th-most amongst all tight ends and just one fewer than teammate DK Metcalf, who leads the Steelers with eight. While his role remains too inconsistent to trust in most redraft leagues, Washington is worth a speculative add in dynasty and deeper formats heading into a Week 10 bout with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Nov 4, 2025 7:06 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington came through with his first touchdown of the season in Week 7 but was otherwise quiet with three receptions for just two yards in the loss. Though he did see five targets, Washington was out-snapped and outperformed by Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, both of whom had underwhelmed early in the year. In Week 8, Washington will face the Green Bay Packers, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. This matchup makes Washington an intriguing DFS dart throw or deep-league flier, but it remains difficult to predict how opportunities will be distributed among Pittsburgh's tight ends in Arthur Smith's offense, keeping him off the fantasy radar in most redraft formats.
Oct 21, 2025 9:35 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington came down with three of his five targets for 62 yards in a Week 6 victory against the Cleveland Browns. While it marked the second straight contest in which Washington led Pittsburgh's tight end room in snaps, it was his first time besting both Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth in targets this season. Given how well the Steelers have operated offensively lately, Washington should remain involved in a Week 7 divisional clash against the Cincinnati Bengals. He hasn't done quite enough yet to warrant consideration in fantasy lineups, but Washington is trending positively and will be a name to watch on Thursday night.
Oct 14, 2025 9:07 PM EST
Despite finishing the game with just three catches for 20 yards, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington was heavily involved in the Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Washington logged more snaps than any other Steelers tight end and was highly effective as a run-blocker, paving the way for running back Kenneth Gainwell's 99-yard rushing performance. According to head coach Mike Tomlin, Washington's increased utilization was by design. "You can't play 4-3 teams with 250-pound tight ends", Tomlin stated in a press conference on Tuesday. He also hinted that Washington could again see significant playing time in this week's divisional meeting with the Cleveland Browns, who boast a strong defensive front. The third-year pro isn't a fantasy option just yet, but if he continues to play ahead of Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith again on Sunday, it will be worth monitoring whether that usage starts to show up in the box score.
Oct 7, 2025 7:41 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington snagged all three of his targets for 20 yards in a 24-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The third-year pro was held without a catch through his first three games this season but emerged as the most productive tight end on the team in Week 4. In addition to his fantasy output, Washington saw the field for 48 of a possible 53 snaps, far exceeding the snap shares of Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. At 6'7", Washington is incredibly effective as a blocker, and his utilization resulted in a successful day on the ground for running back Kenneth Gainwell. While Washington isn't likely to earn a significant role as a pass-catcher, it was promising to see him get on the same page as quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week. He remains off the fantasy radar for now, but Washington will be a name to monitor when Pittsburgh returns from its Week 5 bye.
Sep 30, 2025 4:17 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington made the most of his only target, scoring on a 19-yard pass from quarterback Mason Rudolph in a 31-25 preseason victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The third-year pro operated as the team's starting tight end on Saturday with Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith both inactive. His touchdown capped off the Steelers' opening drive and sparked what would become a strong offensive showcase for the rest of the contest. Although it's unclear exactly how Washington will be deployed this season, the 23-year-old has reportedly had an excellent camp and has been praised by starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He'll look to build on this performance next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Aug 10, 2025 1:09 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington had only seven catches as a rookie. While the 23-year-old has been more productive during the 2024-25 campaign, he hasn't routinely been involved enough to warrant a spot in fantasy lineups. With that in mind, the Steelers have a favorable matchup against the Bengals in Week 13. However, that still won't make Washington a viable fantasy option in any format, especially with Pat Freiermuth available.
Dec 1, 2024 12:36 AM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington struggled last year during spring workouts, and nothing has changed a full year later. Washington has proven himself as a solid blocking tight end, but he's not going to be a 30-catch guy based on what we've seen from him in his second offseason. Even in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's tight-end-friendly scheme, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't expect Washington to have much more offensive output than he had last year, when he went for seven catches on 10 targets for 61 yards and no touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (seven starts). The 22-year-old former third-round pick last year out of Georgia doesn't figure to be on the fantasy radar in redraft leagues in 2024 unless Pat Freiermuth misses time with an injury.
Jun 17, 2024 2:40 PM EST
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