Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Mason Taylor
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 23.5 | 0.1 |
Darnell Washington News
Tuesday, August 4, 6:38 PM
Pittsburgh Steelers 24-year-old tight end out of Georgia, Darnell Washington, has a massive frame, standing tall at 6'7", 264 lbs., and has shown more involvement in the offense since his rookie campaign, but simply isn't a focal point in this Steelers offense. In 2025, he hauled in 31 of his 43 targets for 364 yards and one touchdown. While his target rate is elite (23.8 percent), his target share (nine percent) is not. He simply isn't seeing the volume and route participation (34 percent) that it takes to be fantasy relevant. 27-year-old Pat Freiermuth projects to be the team's starting tight end and has been involved in the offense much more than Washington, as they've spent the last three seasons on the same team. Additionally, the Steelers brought in Michael Pittman over from Indianapolis, which should only make it more difficult for Washington to see an increase in target share. Fantasy managers will want to look elsewhere at the tight end position when drafting in both dynasty and redraft formats.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 23.4 | 0.1 |
Mason Taylor News
Tuesday, August 4, 12:15 PM
New York Jets second-year tight end Mason Taylor is set to have more opportunities in the passing attack with rookie first-round tight end Kenyon Sadiq (hernia) likely to miss at least a chunk of the preseason, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Jeremy Ruckert took advantage of Sadiq's absence in training camp practice on Tuesday with a team-high four catches. "I see him breaking out this year," head coach Aaron Glenn said of Taylor, a 2025 second-round pick who made a team-high 44 receptions for 369 yards last season. The Jets plan to use more two-tight-end packages involving Taylor and Sadiq in new offensive coordinator Frank Reich's scheme, but those plans will be on hold after Sadiq had a setback following offseason hernia surgery. Taylor is still a hard sell in redraft leagues with Sadiq now in the fold in an offense run by veteran QB Geno Smith, but now might be the time to buy low on Taylor in dynasty/keeper leagues. Sadiq, although he possesses elite physical traits, wouldn't be the first rookie TE in the NFL to get started slow, and his injury doesn't help his cause.
Darnell Washington vs. Mason Taylor
Still trying to decide between Washington and Taylor? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Darnell Washington is projected to score 5.3 points this week while Mason Taylor is projected to score 5.7 points.
Latest Fantasy News
