Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Darnell Washington
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 26.1 | 0.3 |
Darren Waller News
Wednesday, September 2, 6:02 PM
Carolina Panthers veteran tight end Darren Waller continues to ramp up for the start of the 2026 season and was in full pads while taking part in team drills with the first-team offense in Wednesday's practice, according to Kassidy Hill of the team's official website. "It was good," head coach Dave Canales said of Waller's practice. "Just backed him off a little bit (Tuesday), let him go today. Got RVAs (routes versus air) in, had a couple of nice targets out there on the field, made one catch; another one, Bryce progressed to somebody else. But he looked fast. He looked huge. So it was good to see his big frame out there moving around." After signing late in training camp on Aug. 12, the 33-year-old Waller figures to be the team's top pass-catching tight end for quarterback Bryce Young if he can stay healthy. After coming out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins in 2025, Waller only played in nine games and caught 24 passes for 283 yards and six touchdowns. The former Pro Bowler had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019 and 202, but Waller is not the same player as he was back then, and he will likely be eased into the offense in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Waller will for sure be a red-zone weapon for Young because of his size (6-foot-6, 245 pounds), but outside of two-TE leagues, he will probably go undrafted.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 19.8 | 0.1 |
Darnell Washington News
Wednesday, August 26, 11:48 AM
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington is coming off the best receiving season of his career, but his redraft outlook has cooled as the preseason has unfolded. Washington caught 31 passes for 364 yards and one touchdown in 16 games last year, then signed a four-year, $42 million extension with Pittsburgh in June. That commitment has not translated into a larger receiving role this summer. Pat Freiermuth remains first on the depth chart, while Washington has just one catch for five yards through two preseason games. Veteran Robert Tonyan has been much more involved, catching six passes for 78 yards over the same stretch after reuniting with Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. Washington still matters plenty to the Steelers because of his blocking, and his 6-foot-7, 264-pound frame gives him some red-zone appeal. The problem for fantasy managers is target volume. Washington drew only 43 targets despite starting 13 games last season, and nothing this August suggests a major jump is coming. RotoBaller ranks him TE36 in half-PPR, leaving him outside the standard redraft mix and better viewed as a deep-league touchdown dart throw.
Darren Waller vs. Darnell Washington
Still trying to decide between Waller and Washington? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Darren Waller is projected to score 6.7 points this week while Darnell Washington is projected to score 4.6 points.
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