Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Brock Wright

Saturday, November 29, 12:31 AM

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.

Wednesday, December 3, 4:11 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (neck) has been ruled out for Thursday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. Wright was a non-participant every day in practice this week and isn't expected to return anytime soon after head coach Dan Campbell revealed his injury involves his trachea, and that it could be a long-term issue. The 27-year-old was expected to serve as the Lions' top tight end after Sam LaPorta (back) was placed on Injured Reserve, but Wright may miss the remainder of the season. Ross Dwelley stepped up and played the majority of snaps in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers with Anthony Firkser mixing in, and both figure to split the reps on Thursday night against the Cowboys. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for help at the TE position.