Michael Mayer or Darnell Washington: who should I start in Week 6?

The market-based projections

Michael Mayer's market-based projection is 7.0 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 118th highest figure of the 183 players with a market-based projection.

Darnell Washington's market-based projection is 5.9 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 126th highest figure of the 183 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Michael Mayer: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 128th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Darnell Washington: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 138th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 5

Through Week 5, Michael Mayer has been on the field for 82 percent of LV snaps, drawn 15 percent of the targets and had 4 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 4 of the offence's 50 third down targets, had 1 of its 11 chances inside the five and seen 6 of its 29 two minute targets.

His 25 targets have averaged 4.7 air yards.

In Week 3 against NO he caught 3 of 3 targets for 32 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 4 against KC he caught 8 of 10 targets for 82 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against NE he caught 1 of 1 target for 2 yards and did not score.

Through Week 5, Darnell Washington has been on the field for 65 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 9 percent of the targets and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 2 of the offence's 40 third down targets, had 0 of its 2 chances inside the five and seen 3 of its 26 two minute targets.

His 16 targets have averaged 5.2 air yards.

In Week 3 against CIN he caught 3 of 4 targets for 67 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against CLE he caught 3 of 5 targets for 27 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 5 against IND he caught 2 of 3 targets for 12 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Michael Mayer played 13 games and scored 73.8 PPR points, 5.7 a game, finishing TE38.

He caught 35 of 50 targets for 328 yards and 1 touchdown, with 6 red zone targets.

That came to 3.8 targets a game, a 70 percent catch rate and 9.4 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 57 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Darnell Washington played 16 games and scored 73.4 PPR points, 4.6 a game, finishing TE39.

He caught 31 of 43 targets for 364 yards and 1 touchdown, with 8 red zone targets.

That came to 2.7 targets a game, a 72 percent catch rate and 11.7 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 57 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Darnell Washington was available for 3 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Michael Mayer scored 5.7 PPR points a game and Darnell Washington 4.6, 1.1 a game between them.

Michael Mayer finished TE38 that year and Darnell Washington TE39.

Michael Mayer had 7 more targets than Darnell Washington, 50 to 43.

Darnell Washington had 36 more receiving yards than Michael Mayer, 364 to 328.

This season Michael Mayer holds the bigger snap share, 82 percent against 65 percent.

This season Michael Mayer holds the bigger target share, 15 percent against 9 percent.

What would change the answer

1.1 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the sample rather than the market-based projection when it does.