Darnell Washington vs Travis Kelce: Who Should You Start?
Deciding between Darnell Washington and Travis Kelce is a common lineup dilemma for fantasy managers. The Pittsburgh Steelers tight end put up 3.6 PPG in 2025 over 16 games; Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs averaged 9.1 in 17. A 5.5-point margin that could shift on any given week.
The per-game difference of 5.5 points favors Travis Kelce, though savvy managers know that gap can shrink or widen depending on the weekly slate. Defensive matchup, recent scoring trends, and health status all shift the calculus from one tight end to the other.
Travis Kelce is the volume tight end in this matchup with 76 receptions for 851 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 Travis Kelce, but the floor gap is real.
Darnell Washington has his bye in Week 9, and Travis Kelce rests in Week 6. 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.
