Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Mason Taylor

Wednesday, February 25, 10:56 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (forearm) ended the 2025 season with surgery on his broken forearm, but he is looking to bounce back in the final year of his contract in 2026. Despite some highlight reel stiff arms and one TE8 finish in Week 11, Washington mainly played behind fellow tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. The Steelers are expected to move on from Smith during free agency, which is likely to benefit Washington. Despite Washington's size, he was on the field for more than just run blocking, boasting a 40% route run participation rate and hauled in 31 of his 43 targets for 364 yards and a touchdown in 2025. However, the 24-year-old out of Georgia primarily holds value only in deep dynasty leagues with tight end premium scoring due to his position behind Freiermuth on the depth chart.

Tuesday, February 10, 9:46 AM

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor finished his rookie campaign with 44 receptions for 369 yards and a single touchdown across 13 games, missing the final four weeks with a neck injury. While he saw his value peak after an early-season, two-game stretch that saw him targeted 17 times for 132 yards, his first season in New York never amounted to much of a fantasy impact, spending most of the year bouncing around the waiver wire in redraft leagues. In dynasty formats, his value is more difficult to peg down, as it's unclear just how the blame should be split between a routinely underperforming Jets offense and Taylor himself. While the Jets ranked dead last in both passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2025, Taylor did not do much to help his cause, finishing the year without a single missed tackle forced. He enters 2026 just outside the TE1 conversation, with the potential to plummet quickly if drastic changes don't take shape early in New York.