Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Darnell Washington

Saturday, November 1, 6:04 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle caught four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. The stat line was not outstanding, but it was enough to qualify as one of the few bright spots for the team on a day where they generated just 223 net yards on offense. Kittle ranked third on the team with five targets, behind Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) and Christian McCaffrey, and will be in the mix to lead the team in targets in Week 9 against the Giants. Mac Jones (knee) has been tabbed to start while Brock Purdy (toe) is listed as questionable. Jones has been unafraid to throw this season (37.7 pass attempts/game), and he kept his tight end Jake Tonges in the picture while Kittle was on the shelf (6.5 targets/game in Jones' starts). Kittle is projected as a TE1 with top-five upside and should be plugged into starting lineups for Week 9.

Thursday, November 6, 5:50 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (foot) returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session due to a foot injury, according to Alan Saunders of PGH Steelers Now. Washington's return to practice on Thursday gives him a chance to play this coming Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. The hulking 6-foot-7, 264-pounder is in his third year in the NFL with Pittsburgh and has recorded 13 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown on his 20 targets through eight games this year. Washington's size makes him an intriguing red-zone target for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but his volume has been limited behind fellow tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. Washington should be able to suit up in Week 10, but he'll remain a touchdown-dependent TE3 in fantasy. UPDATE: Washington practiced in full on Thursday.