Darnell Washington is the Pittsburgh Steelers number 80 tight end, a 3-year pro, and finished the 2025 regular season as a low-end fantasy option at his position. He averaged 3.6 fantasy points per game across 16 appearances, which ranks him 38th among tight ends in our 2026 draft board. That per-game number is the starting point for every start or sit decision you make with him in 2026.
Darnell Washington finished 2025 with 31 receptions for 364 yards and 1 touchdowns. He drew 43 targets, a workload that anchors his weekly floor without quite hitting alpha status.
Darnell Washington lives in the matchup-dependent tier of tight ends. In weeks against defenses that struggle against the position, he is a strong start. In weeks where his role gets squeezed, streaming a waiver-wire tight end can produce more points. Know his schedule and plan around it.
Heading into 2026, Darnell Washington projects as a core piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Managers drafting him need to plan around his Week 9 bye and monitor training camp reports for role changes. DraftCall's AI comparison engine lets you pit him against any other NFL player in seconds, factoring in matchup quality, recent form, and scoring format, so you can make start or sit calls with real reasoning instead of gut feel.
