Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Mason Taylor


Week 1 Projections

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0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Darnell Washington News

Darnell Washington Lacks Ties to New Coaching Staff

Saturday, April 11, 8:39 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington should take over exclusive responsibility of the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Pat Freiermuth, but his lack of ties to the new coaching staff could complicate the situation. Washington was drafted by former head coach Mike Tomlin, and he had the best season of his young career in 2025 under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Both Tomlin and Smith are gone, being replaced by Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio. That's not to say that McCarthy and Angelichio won't utilize Washington; the Steelers' lack of tight end moves this offseason suggests they're satisfied with the position. However, the new staff has no attachment to Washington, and they could opt to use him less than Smith did in 2025, when he caught 31 passes for 364 yards and one touchdown. That's just one possibility amidst a large range of possible outcomes, so fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily panic. He's a speculative hold in most dynasty leagues at the moment.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Mason Taylor News

Jets Expecting a "Hell of a Year" From Mason Taylor

Tuesday, March 31, 8:04 AM

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn expects tight end Mason Taylor to make a big jump and have a "hell of a year" in his second season in the NFL in 2026, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Taylor ended his rookie season on Injured Reserve due to a neck injury, but it's not expected to impact his availability at the start of the 2026 campaign this fall. In 13 games for the Jets last year, Taylor caught 44 of his 65 targets for 369 yards and only one touchdown. It wasn't exactly what dynasty managers were hoping for, but it also wasn't completely Taylor's fault. He missed the final four games with a neck injury, and New York's passing attack was brutal with quarterbacks Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook. Taylor didn't have much of a chance to get going in his rookie season, and he was the TE35 overall in half-PPR scoring. Going into Year 2, the former second-rounder could be handcuffed again by a poor offense, which will now be run by veteran Geno Smith, who led the league with 17 interceptions in 2025 with the Raiders. Take Glenn's statement this week about Taylor with a grain of salt.


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 0.0 points this week while Mason Taylor is projected to score 0.0 points.