Who Should I Start? Darnell Washington or Terrance Ferguson

Thursday, November 20, 12:26 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington continues to trend upward, and he'll look to carry his momentum into Sunday's Week 12 contest against the Chicago Bears. Washington played 71 percent of the offensive snaps last week, which was his highest mark since Week 6. He also caught four of his five targets for a season-high 67 yards, delivering the first double-digit scoring total (PPR) of his career. Washington does still have some competition for targets from Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth, but it appears that he has surpassed both of them in the pecking order given his volume and workload over the last few weeks. Washington is right up there with DK Metcalf as Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets, which will give him some low-end TE1 upside in deeper leagues going forward. Perhaps the more important question for this week is whether Washington will be catching passes from Rodgers, who missed Wednesday's practice with a thumb injury, or Mason Rudolph. Either way, he's a top-25 tight end in fantasy football, and he has top-15 upside against a Bears defense allowing the eighth-most receptions to the position in 2025.

Saturday, November 22, 4:46 PM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson has an opportunity to ascend into a larger role during Sunday's Week 12 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ferguson has struggled to carve out a significant snap share this season, but he could make that leap this week after Tyler Higbee (ankle) was placed on injured reserve. The rookie will likely operate as the Rams' No. 2 tight end behind Colby Parkinson, primarily serving as a big-yardage threat downfield. He has five catches on 11 targets this season, and he's averaging a whopping 27.6 yards per reception. The 22-year-old hasn't produced these big catches consistently enough to warrant starting him in fantasy football, but he's inching closer to a fantasy-relevant role with Higbee now sidelined. In the short term, Ferguson ranks as the overall TE34 in RotoBaller's Week 12 fantasy rankings.