Cade Otton vs Darnell Washington: Who Should You Start?
If you are choosing between Cade Otton and Darnell Washington for your lineup, you are not alone. Cade Otton finished the 2025 season at 5.8 PPG for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16 games), and Darnell Washington averaged 3.6 for the Pittsburgh Steelers (16 games).
That 2.2-point weekly advantage for Cade Otton is meaningful but not automatic. Fantasy football is a week-to-week sport, and the answer to "who should I start" often changes based on opponent, recent form, and game environment. Season averages set the baseline; weekly context makes the call.
Cade Otton is the volume tight end in this matchup with 59 receptions for 572 yards, while Darnell Washington profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (1 scores on 31 catches). In weeks where Darnell Washington finds the end zone he out-scores Cade Otton, but the floor gap is real.
Cade Otton has his bye in Week 11, and Darnell Washington rests in Week 9. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at tight end for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
