Steelers' Darnell Washington: Four catches in victory
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Washington caught four of five targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 34-12 win over the Bengals.
Washington was able to able to match his season high in catches while recording a new season-best 67 yards through the air. The tight end notched the majority of his yardage on a 31-yard catch and run in the second quarter. Washington has now compiled nine catches for 125 yards over the last three weeks. The 300-plus pound tight end will look to keep it rolling in Chicago against the Bears in Week 12.
Washington (foot) practiced fully Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Washington didn't practice Wednesday, but his return to a full session a day later suggests that his absence was maintenance-related. In the Steelers' Week 9 win over the Colts, Washington led his team's tight ends in catches (four) and receiving yards (43) while logging six targets, but his production this season has been hit or miss due to the fact that Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth also are commanding their share of Pittsburgh's TE snaps and targets.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Participating in practice Thursday
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Washington (foot) returned to practice Thursday, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Washington didn't practice Wednesday, but his return Thursday is encouraging, though it remains to be seen if he'll manage to practice without limitations. Working as part of a rotation alongside Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, Washington has accrued 127 yards receiving yards and one touchdown through eight games. He hasn't missed a regular-season game in his three-year career heading into Sunday's road matchup against the Chargers.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Best yardage total of career
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Washington recorded three receptions on five targets for 62 yards in Sunday's 23-9 win over the Browns. He also fumbled, but the ball went out of bounds.
Washington continues to emerge in the Pittsburgh offense, as he led the tight end corps in targets and receiving yards. His involvement began immediately, as he recorded a 36-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage. Washington later chipped in gains of 12 and 14 yards, both of which came primarily after the catch. The end result was Washington's best yardage total of his career, and he seems to have surpassed Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth for targets in the Pittsburgh offense.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Sees uptick in playing time
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Washington secured all three of his targets for 20 yards during Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings.
Washington was targeted just once over the first three weeks of the regular season while playing less than half of the team's offensive snaps during that time. However, Jonnu Smith was limited in practice this week, and Washington was on the field for 91 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps during the matchup in Dublin. While it was encouraging to see Washington get more involved, his role will likely decline if Smith is able to shed his limitations following the team's Week 5 bye.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Targeted once in defeat
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Washington failed to secure his lone target during Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Seahawks.
Washington matched Pat Freiermuth's snap count during last week's regular-season opener. However, Washington played just 36 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps in Week 2 compared to 51 percent for Freiermuth and 56 percent for Jonnu Smith. Washington was targeted for the first time this season despite his slight decrease in playing time, but he appears unlikely to have a fantasy-relevant role in 2025.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Finds end zone in preseason win
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Washington secured his lone target for a 19-yard touchdown during Saturday's 31-25 preseason win over Jacksonville.
Washington started in Saturday's preseason opener and put the team on the board with a touchdown reception to cap off Pittsburgh's first drive of the game. While the 2023 third-rounder saw his role grow slightly last season, he'll have increased competition for targets behind Pat Freiermuth in 2025 after the Steelers acquired Jonnu Smith from the Dolphins.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Logs four catches in victory
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Washington secured all four of his targets for 36 yards during Sunday's 37-15 win over the Jets.
Washington found plenty of success under new starting quarterback Russell Wilson on Sunday, tallying career-high marks in receptions and receiving yards. While Washington had an encouraging performance Sunday and could establish more value if he can maintain a connection with Wilson, the second-year tight end has secured 10 of 11 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown over his first seven appearances of the season, so he hasn't been a very reliable fantasy option.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Logs two receptions in Week 4
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Washington secured both of his targets for 31 yards during Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Colts.
Washington didn't have more than five receiving yards in any of the first three games of the season, but he tallied double-digit yards on both of his receptions during Sunday's defeat. He still didn't see as much work as starting tight end Pat Freiermuth, who secured five of seven targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. Although Washington looked good when he had the ball in his hands Sunday, he hasn't yet carved out a high enough target share to make him a reliable fantasy option.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Minimal production in win
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Washington secured his lone target for five yards during Sunday's 18-10 win over the Falcons.
Although Washington was on the field for 54 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps Sunday, he didn't see much work in the passing game. Despite appearing in all 17 games during his rookie season in 2023, he didn't have more than one reception in any outing and could struggle to see many targets once again this year, especially if starting tight end Pat Freiermuth stays healthy.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Absent Thursday
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Washington (knee) did not practice Thursday.
Washington wasn't listed on the injury report Wednesday, so this is a new issue for the second-year tight end. Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt would be in line for expanded roles behind Pat Freiermuth if Washington can't play Sunday against the Falcons.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Could see more opportunities
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In his second season as a pro, Washington believes that there's a "strong possibility" he can emerge as more of a receiving threat, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
In 17 regular-season contests as a rookie last season, Washington caught just seven of his 10 targets for 61 yards, but with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on board, the 2023 third-rounder is a candidate to see more pass-catching opportunities in what figures to be a more tight-end friendly offense in Pittsburgh. At 6-foot-7, 264 pounds, Washington has the size to continue to make his mark as a run blocker, but the Georgia product has some untapped potential as a receiver and should have an opportunity to demonstrate that more in 2024, while working behind top option Pat Freiermuth in a TE corps that also includes Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Minimal production in victory
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Washington secured his lone target for eight yards during the Steelers' 34-11 win over the Bengals on Saturday.
Washington's snap count bounced back to 29 offensive snaps Saturday after he played just 13 snaps last week, but his production remained limited, even in a comfortable victory over Cincinnati. He was the team's most productive tight end since Pat Freiermuth was held without a target, but Washington shouldn't be a fantasy-relevant player to close out the season.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Held to 12 yards in defeat
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Washington secured one of two targets for 12 yards during the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday.
Washington wasn't targeted during last week's loss to Arizona, but he racked up double-digit receiving yards for the third time this season during Thursday's loss. Despite his reception Thursday, the rookie third-rounder should have minimal fantasy relevance to close out the year.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Goes without target in Week 13
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Washington played 34 of the Steelers' 61 snaps on offense and went without a target in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals.
Washington has played more than half of the Steelers' snaps on offense in three of the past four contests, but the big-bodied rookie out of Georgia been deployed mainly as a blocking tight end. He's drawn just seven targets over his 12 appearances on the season and will likely see limited involvement as a pass catcher down the stretch, especially now that Pat Freiermuth is back in the fold after a recent stint on injured reserve.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Tallies one catch Sunday
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Washington secured his lone target for eight yards during the Steelers' 13-10 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.
Although Pat Freiermuth returned to action Sunday, Washington continued to see his fair share of playing time, as he was on the field for 47 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps compared to Freiermuth's mark of 53 percent. However, neither tight end was able to generate much production in the low-scoring matchup. It wouldn't be surprising to see Freiermuth's snap count continue to rise as he regains his conditioning, so Washington's fantasy potential could diminish over the next few weeks.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Minimal production in Week 9
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Washington secured his lone target for seven yards during the Steelers' 20-16 win over the Titans on Thursday.
Although Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) remained on injured reserve in Week 9, Washington failed to generate much production in the Steelers' passing game. Although Connor Heyward was limited to just two receptions for 16 yards, he appears to have established himself as Pittsburgh's clear top tight end with Freiermuth unavailable.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: No targets in Week 7
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Washington didn't receive any targets during the Steelers' 24-17 win over the Rams on Sunday.
After Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 7, it seemed likely that Washington would be in line for an increased workload. However, the rookie played just 53 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps, while second-year tight end Connor Heyward was on the field for 86 percent. Washington should continue to see increased playing time while Freiermuth is sidelined, but as Sunday demonstrated, that role may not come with a significant uptick in targets.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Targeted twice against Baltimore
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Washington failed to secure either of his two targets during the Steelers' 17-10 win over the Ravens on Sunday.
Washington saw increased playing time Sunday with Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) sidelined, as he was on the field for 70 percent of the team's offensive snaps. However, the rookie third-rounder was targeted just twice and was unable to record a reception. The Steelers have a Week 6 bye before a meeting with the Rams on Sunday, Oct. 22, and Washington's role against L.A. will likely depend on whether Freiermuth is able to recover by then.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Could see more looks in Week 5
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Washington could be in store for a larger role Sunday against the Ravens, as fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) has been ruled out.
Freiermuth's absence could lead to larger roles for both Washington and Connor Heyward. Washington has been used primarily for blocking purposes through four games, as the 2023 third-round draft pick out of Georgia has just one catch in his young career.
