Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Sam LaPorta

Saturday, November 29, 12:31 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington has seen a slight uptick in playing time over the past two weeks, playing 69.3% of offensive snaps and recording six receptions on seven targets for 89 yards. Up until that point, Washington was playing 56.9% of snaps and had 14 receptions for 142 yards on 21 targets in nine games. The 24-year-old tight end is an outstanding blocker who has also flashed incredible ball-in-hand ability as a receiver, consistently making defenders look silly when trying to tackle him. Washington has an elite 0.35 missed tackles forced per reception this season, best among all tight ends and tied for second among wide receivers with at least 20 targets this season, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. He doesn't see a ton of targets as the No. 2 tight end option behind Pat Freiermuth, but he has some appeal in deeper leagues in Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills with Aaron Rodgers (wrist) returning.

Friday, November 21, 12:17 PM

According to Detroit Football Network's Justin Rogers, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) is likely to miss the remainder of the season after successful surgery on his back. The 24-year-old was amid a rebound campaign, posting a 40/489/3 line before sustaining a back injury in their 44-22 win over the Commanders in Week 10. However, his status quickly deteriorated, and he's now facing a significant recovery. Fellow tight end Brock Wright (ankle) will operate as Detroit's TE1 in his teammate's stead, with Ross Dwelley working in behind him. Neither projects to be particularly useful for fantasy.