Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Julian Hill

Thursday, November 20, 12:26 AM

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.

Friday, November 14, 12:05 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Julian Hill (ankle) upgraded to a full practice on Friday and has been removed from the final Week 11 injury report, meaning he'll make his return on Sunday against the Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain. Hill will put an end to a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, but fantasy managers can continue to look elsewhere. Darren Waller (pectoral) remains on Injured Reserve, but the 25-year-old Hill will be battling for limited targets with Greg Dulcich against Washington. Before his ankle injury, Hill had only 10 catches on 13 targets for 77 yards and no touchdowns. He is still looking for his first NFL touchdown after debuting for the Dolphins in 2023. Fantasy managers desperate at the TE position should be able to find better options on the waiver wire.