Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Luke Schoonmaker

Monday, June 17, 2:40 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington struggled last year during spring workouts, and nothing has changed a full year later. Washington has proven himself as a solid blocking tight end, but he's not going to be a 30-catch guy based on what we've seen from him in his second offseason. Even in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's tight-end-friendly scheme, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't expect Washington to have much more offensive output than he had last year, when he went for seven catches on 10 targets for 61 yards and no touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (seven starts). The 22-year-old former third-round pick last year out of Georgia doesn't figure to be on the fantasy radar in redraft leagues in 2024 unless Pat Freiermuth misses time with an injury.

Tuesday, November 19, 1:00 AM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker caught six of his 10 targets for 56 yards during Monday's loss to the Houston Texans. While Schoonmaker typically operates as the Cowboys' No. 2 tight end, he was bumped up to the first-team offense early in Monday's game after Jake Ferguson (concussion) was ruled out. The 26-year-old has shown off his ability to step up on offense before, catching six passes for 43 yards when Ferguson was sidelined back in Week 2. If Ferguson's concussion forces him to miss Week 12 against the Washington Commanders, Schoonmaker would temporarily become a fringe top-12 fantasy tight end.