Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Brock Bowers

Sunday, December 14, 12:19 PM

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.

Saturday, December 13, 12:54 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers has been a terrific fantasy football contributor lately. In six weeks since returning from injury, Bowers is averaging 5.7 catches, 65.7 yards, and one touchdown per game, and he ranks as the overall TE2 in half-PPR leagues during that span. He has posted double-digit fantasy points in five of those six contests, and he has found the end zone in each of his last two games. All in all, Bowers has been one of the few bright spots in Las Vegas' otherwise bleak offense. Because of that, we expect that he'll continue to thrive as a strong fantasy option when quarterback Kenny Pickett replaces Geno Smith (back, shoulder) in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bowers should serve as a dependable high-volume target in this Pickett-led offense despite the Eagles allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2025. Bowers has shown that he is matchup-proof and should be started in all leagues, regardless of opponent. That's why he ranks as the overall TE3 in this week's RotoBaller fantasy football rankings.