Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Darnell Washington
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
George Kittle News
Sunday, March 29, 11:46 AM
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said that tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is doing "very good" in his recovery from a torn Achilles in the postseason and that the team is hopeful that he'll be ready to play in Week 1 of the 2026 season, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. Kittle will be managed carefully during training camp this summer, but "he's progressing at a good rate." The 32-year-old veteran tore his Achilles tendon in the team's Wild-Card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11 and went under the knife a week later. Fantasy managers shouldn't take this as gospel that Kittle will be ready for the start of the regular season, as ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported over a month ago that the Pro Bowl tight end might not return until around Week 5. Kittle is a high-end TE1 option for fantasy managers when he's healthy, but the uncertainty around his injury going into 2026 will cause his price to drop. He finished as the TE11 in half-PPR scoring in 2025 with 57 catches for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in only 11 regular-season games played.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Darnell Washington News
Saturday, April 11, 8:39 PM
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington should take over exclusive responsibility of the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Pat Freiermuth, but his lack of ties to the new coaching staff could complicate the situation. Washington was drafted by former head coach Mike Tomlin, and he had the best season of his young career in 2025 under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Both Tomlin and Smith are gone, being replaced by Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio. That's not to say that McCarthy and Angelichio won't utilize Washington; the Steelers' lack of tight end moves this offseason suggests they're satisfied with the position. However, the new staff has no attachment to Washington, and they could opt to use him less than Smith did in 2025, when he caught 31 passes for 364 yards and one touchdown. That's just one possibility amidst a large range of possible outcomes, so fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily panic. He's a speculative hold in most dynasty leagues at the moment.
George Kittle vs. Darnell Washington
Still trying to decide between Kittle and Washington? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that George Kittle is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Darnell Washington is projected to score 0.0 points.
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