Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Sam LaPorta

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.