Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Michael Mayer

Tuesday, September 15, 7:47 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington stands out for his size at 6-foot-7 and 264 points. But in fantasy football leagues, he is not a big target on the waiver wire after the team's Week 1 season-opening win on Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons. The 25-year-old played 64% of the offensive snaps in the opener, with fellow TE Pat Freiermuth playing a team-high 73% of the snaps against Atlanta. Freiermuth had the much better day production-wise, too, catching all five of his targets for 46 yards and the only offensive touchdown of the game for the Steelers. Washington contributed two catches on his two targets for just 18 yards. He did not see a target until the second half as his minimum pass-catching role for the team continues. The former third-rounder from Georgia in 2023 had a career-high 31 catches on 43 targets for 364 yards and just one touchdown in 16 regular-season games in 2025. Washington is unlikely to become fantasy-relevant in two-TE leagues unless Freiermuth misses time with an injury. He is currently rostered in just 1% of Yahoo leagues.