Who Should I Start? Drew Sample or Darnell Washington

Saturday, September 27, 2:08 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample has only three catches this season, with one resulting in a trip to the end zone. The 29-year-old has logged more snaps than Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant (foot) through the first three weeks of the 2025 campaign. However, both have received more attention from quarterbacks Joe Burrow (toe) and Jake Browning. The Bengals offense is a mess, which has been a surprise to most. As a result, it's hard to trust anyone on that side of the ball. Granted, Sample should continue to lead the position in snaps, especially with his abilities as a blocker. Still, while he will likely add a few more scores to his resume before the end of the season, he's not consistent enough to be considered a starting fantasy option in any format in Week 4 versus the Broncos.

Tuesday, October 21, 9:35 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington came through with his first touchdown of the season in Week 7 but was otherwise quiet with three receptions for just two yards in the loss. Though he did see five targets, Washington was out-snapped and outperformed by Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, both of whom had underwhelmed early in the year. In Week 8, Washington will face the Green Bay Packers, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. This matchup makes Washington an intriguing DFS dart throw or deep-league flier, but it remains difficult to predict how opportunities will be distributed among Pittsburgh's tight ends in Arthur Smith's offense, keeping him off the fantasy radar in most redraft formats.