Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Terrance Ferguson

Tuesday, December 30, 1:20 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (forearm) had surgery on his broken forearm on Tuesday morning and will not play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. Head coach Mike Tomlin said he has "some level of optimism for everyone else." The expectation was that Washington would not play after he broke his arm in the Week 17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Not only will the 24-year-old not be available for the winner-take-all game this Sunday night against the Ravens, but Washington is unlikely to be able to return for the playoffs if the Steelers take care of business this weekend. It means that Pat Freiermuth will become a slightly more attractive TE streamer in fantasy, as will Jonnu Smith. Washington's third season in the NFL will finish with 31 catches for 364 yards and a touchdown in 16 games.

Friday, February 13, 8:47 AM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson took a while to get going, but he finally found a groove near the end of his rookie campaign. He had just five catches through the first four weeks, operating as the third or fourth option on the depth chart behind Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, and sometimes Davis Allen. However, he saw his snap share jump to a season-high 78% in Week 15, and over his next three games, he totaled six catches for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns. With Tyler Higbee headed for free agency, it seems like Ferguson has a real chance to step up as the Rams' 1B tight end alongside Parkinson next year. It may be a bit early to pursue him in redraft leagues, but he's trending up as an intriguing buy in dynasty formats.