Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Darnell Washington

Sunday, November 16, 9:29 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had a vintage game in Week 11, recording six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns on six targets in his team's 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Kittle showed off his established chemistry with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who made his first start since Week 4. The 32-year-old Kittle has now hauled in 27 catches for 251 yards and five touchdowns on 30 targets across six games played this season. He's heating up of late, recording 15 receptions for 151 yards and three scores over the last two weeks. Kittle profiles as a must-start tight end heading into a Week 12 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

Saturday, November 15, 5:23 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers big-bodied tight end Darnell Washington caught his only touchdown of the season and the second of his career in the first matchup against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 16, but it came on just three catches (five targets) for two yards. Since then, the 6-foot-7, 264-pound unit has caught five passes for 58 yards and no touchdowns on seven targets as the team's TE3 behind Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. In nine total games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL, Washington has just 14 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown on 21 targets. His size sets him apart when quarterback Aaron Rodgers is facing pressure and he just needs to throw the ball up to a big target, but otherwise, Washington just isn't seeing enough volume to be anything more than a TE3 in fantasy, even against a Bengals defense that has allowed the most half-PPR points per game to the TE position.