Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Cade Stover

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, November 19, 8:08 PM

Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover missed nine weeks with a foot injury, returning in Week 11 after originally being placed on IR after Week 1. He caught four of his four targets for 22 yards in the season opener, but he didn't have a target or catch against the Titans. He played 14 snaps (20%) and didn't report any setbacks, so he should be ready for more work in Week 12 against the Bills. He'll continue to back up Dalton Schultz and could eventually eat into his snaps and targets as the season goes on. For now, he's well off the fantasy radar, but it's worth monitoring his involvement, especially after his college teammate QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) is ready to return for the Texans.