Darnell Washington vs Sam LaPorta: Who Should You Start?
Two tight ends who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Darnell Washington (Pittsburgh Steelers) finished the 2025 season averaging 4.5 fantasy points per game in 13 games. Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions) came in at 9.7 PPG over 9 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Sam LaPorta carries a 5.2-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Both see steady target volume for the tight end position. Darnell Washington had 31 catches for 364 yards; Sam LaPorta posted 40 for 489. At a position where most starters barely clear 7 PPG, this class of tight end is where the fantasy advantage lives week to week.
Darnell Washington has his bye in Week 5, and Sam LaPorta rests in Week 8. 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.
