Who Should I Start? Grant Calcaterra or Darnell Washington

Wednesday, October 8, 3:37 PM

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique) missed another practice on Wednesday and has officially been ruled out for Week 6 on Thursday Night Football against the division-rival New York Giants. Calcaterra suffered an oblique injury in the loss in Week 5 to the Denver Broncos and will miss at least one game as a result. The good news is that the 26-year-old will have extra time to recover before the team's Week 7 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Oct. 19. When healthy, Calcaterra isn't really relevant as the No. 2 TE in Philly behind Dallas Goedert. He has four catches for 40 yards and no touchdowns in five games in 2025 after a career-best year in 2024 in which he posted a 24-298-1 line on 30 targets in 17 regular-season games. Expect Kylen Granson to back up Goedert on Thursday night.

Tuesday, October 7, 7:41 PM

Despite finishing the game with just three catches for 20 yards, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington was heavily involved in the Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Washington logged more snaps than any other Steelers tight end and was highly effective as a run-blocker, paving the way for running back Kenneth Gainwell's 99-yard rushing performance. According to head coach Mike Tomlin, Washington's increased utilization was by design. "You can't play 4-3 teams with 250-pound tight ends", Tomlin stated in a press conference on Tuesday. He also hinted that Washington could again see significant playing time in this week's divisional meeting with the Cleveland Browns, who boast a strong defensive front. The third-year pro isn't a fantasy option just yet, but if he continues to play ahead of Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith again on Sunday, it will be worth monitoring whether that usage starts to show up in the box score.