Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Darnell Washington

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
7.7 0.0 0.0 3.2 34.0 0.2

Chig Okonkwo News

Chig Okonkwo Sitting Out With Rest of Starters

Friday, August 14, 2:32 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo is not suiting up for Friday's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, according to The Athletic's Ben Standig. Okonkwo will have to wait at least another week before potentially making his debut with the Commanders after they signed him to a three-year, $27 million deal in free agency earlier this year. In his four seasons in Tennessee with the Titans, the 26-year-old had a total of 194 receptions for 2,017 yards and eight touchdowns on 272 targets across 68 games played. He had a career-high 560 receiving yards and a career-high 56 catches a year ago, despite sharing valuable playing time with rookie Gunnar Helm. The former fourth-rounder from the University of Maryland will have a much higher ceiling in Washington as long as QB Jayden Daniels can stay healthy, and he could be the team's No. 3 target behind receivers Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs. If you decide to wait on the TE position in fantasy drafts, Okonkwo is a nice sleeper to target later on.

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
5.3 0.0 0.0 2.1 23.5 0.1

Darnell Washington News

Darnell Washington Unlikely to Factor into Fantasy Plans for 2026

Saturday, August 15, 6:01 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington caught a career-high 31 passes for 364 yards in 2025, but his activity in Thursday's preseason opener, while many of the team's starters were given the night off, is an indication that he is not viewed as a critical piece of the team's passing attack. Both Washington and sixth-year veteran Pat Freiermuth started the game with Mason Rudolph under center, with the latter catching one of his two targets for two yards while Washington was kept off the stat sheet. One of the most physically imposing players in the league, Washington is a dominant blocker at 6'7" and 264 pounds, but in a Mike McCarthy offense that favors three-receiver sets, he may see his receiving work limited after taking steps forward in that regard under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. At RotoBaller's TE37, Washington should not factor into 2026 draft plans, and with the position as deep as it's ever been, he may not even enter into the streaming conversation as he might have in past seasons.

Chig Okonkwo vs. Darnell Washington

Still trying to decide between Okonkwo and Washington? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Chig Okonkwo is projected to score 7.7 points this week while Darnell Washington is projected to score 5.3 points.