May 21, 2026, 12:55 PM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington is trending in the wrong direction in dynasty fantasy football leagues, and managers could justify dropping him as the post-rookie draft roster crunch approaches. Washington had 31 catches, 364 yards, and one touchdown last year, and we're not convinced he'll be able to surpass those numbers in 2026. Now heading into his fourth year, the odds aren't in Washington's favor. Not only has he failed to live up to expectations through three NFL seasons, but he also has no connection to the new Steelers coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy. Furthermore, the Steelers brought in competition in the form of fifth-round rookie Riley Nowakowski. Washington should hold onto the No. 2 tight end role (behind Pat Freiermuth and ahead of Nowakowski) initially, but he could end up falling to third as the year goes on. Washington is also heading into a contract year, which could be more incentive for the Steelers to reduce his reps and lean more on Freiermuth and Nowakowski. While free agency could be a much-needed fresh start for Washington next year, he doesn't have the track record needed to sign somewhere as a starting tight end. Therefore, both in the short term and long term, Washington's dynasty outlook is bleak. Managers can absolutely justify dropping him, as he has fallen to TE52 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty fantasy football rankings.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller