Colby Parkinson vs Darnell Washington: Who Should You Start?
Two tight ends who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Colby Parkinson (Los Angeles Rams) finished the 2025 season averaging 7.2 fantasy points per game in 15 games. Darnell Washington (Pittsburgh Steelers) came in at 3.6 PPG over 16 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Colby Parkinson carries a 3.6-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Both see steady target volume for the tight end position. Colby Parkinson had 43 catches for 408 yards; Darnell Washington posted 31 for 364. At a position where most starters barely clear 7 PPG, this class of tight end is where the fantasy advantage lives week to week.
Colby Parkinson has his bye in Week 6, 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.
