Brock Bowers vs Darnell Washington: Who Should You Start?
Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Las Vegas Raiders tight end averaged 12.0 PPG in 2025, a full 7.5 points per game ahead of Darnell Washington's 4.5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
The per-game difference of 7.5 points favors Brock Bowers, 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.
Brock Bowers is the volume tight end in this matchup with 64 receptions for 680 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 Brock Bowers, but the floor gap is real.
Brock Bowers has his bye in Week 8, and Darnell Washington rests in Week 5. 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.
