Darnell Washington vs T.J. Hockenson: Who Should You Start?
Darnell Washington and T.J. Hockenson are both viable fantasy tight ends heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Darnell Washington averaged 3.6 PPG across 16 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while T.J. Hockenson posted 5.8 PPG in 15 appearances for the Minnesota Vikings.
A 2.2-PPG gap gives T.J. Hockenson the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
T.J. Hockenson is the volume tight end in this matchup with 51 receptions for 438 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 T.J. Hockenson, but the floor gap is real.
One scheduling note: Darnell Washington is off Week 9 and T.J. Hockenson Week 6. If these two are on your roster, you will need a fill-in tight end for both weeks. DraftCall flags bye conflicts so you can plan ahead rather than panic on waivers.
