Should I start Mike Gesicki or Darnell Washington in Week 10?
Updated Nov 10, 9:21 AM ET. Week 11 answers post Tuesday.
Week 10 verdict
Start Darnell Washington over Mike Gesicki
- Market projects
- 7.2
- fantasy pts
- CIN D vs TE
- 16.5
- 7th most to TEs (2026)
- Snap share
- 65%
- Through Week 8
- Target share
- 10%
- Through Week 8
- Market projects
- 7.0
- fantasy pts
- PIT D vs TE
- 12.7
- 13th fewest to TEs (2026)
- Snap share
- 48%
- Through Week 9
- Target share
- 9%
- Through Week 9
Start Darnell Washington: 64 percent of the snaps and 13 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Mike Gesicki's 53 percent of the snaps and 9 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
Should I drop Darnell Washington for Mike Gesicki?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Mike Gesicki projects 57 market-implied PPR points from Week 10 through Week 17 (7.1 a game over 8 games), Darnell Washington 49 (6.1 a game over 8 games). For Week 10 the call starts Darnell Washington over Mike Gesicki, 7.2 to 7.0 projected PPR points. So make the move after his Week 10 game.
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Your next move
More fantasy football tools and rankings, all built from the same board.
Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
TE11 · CIN · bye 6
2026 vs anytime td line 6-2
- Market-based projection
- 7.5 pts a game Wk 9 price
- Overall rank
- 82
TE29 · PIT · bye 9
2026 vs anytime td line 3-5
- Overall rank
- 158
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The gap
- Board size306 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on Mike Gesicki, and the board ranks him 82nd overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Darnell Washington, and the board ranks him 158th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
The market-based projection for Mike Gesicki is 2.9 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 30 percent of what a tight end's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
The market-based projection for Darnell Washington is 1.5 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 30 percent of what a tight end's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
Mike Gesicki's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.
This season so far
Through Week 9, Mike Gesicki has been on the field for 48 percent of CIN snaps, drawn 9 percent of the targets and had 6 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 6 of the offence's 68 third down targets, had 3 of its 20 chances inside the five and seen 9 of its 47 two minute targets.
His 26 targets have averaged 10.5 air yards.
In Week 7 against BAL he caught 1 of 1 target for 6 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 8 against TEN he caught 4 of 6 targets for 76 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 9 against ATL he caught 2 of 2 targets for 11 yards and did not score.
Through Week 8, Darnell Washington has been on the field for 65 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 10 percent of the targets and had 12 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 2 of the offence's 61 third down targets, had 3 of its 12 chances inside the five and seen 4 of its 44 two minute targets.
His 28 targets have averaged 5.4 air yards.
In Week 6 against TB he caught 4 of 6 targets for 25 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 7 against NO he caught 1 of 1 target for 4 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 8 against CLE he caught 3 of 5 targets for 94 yards and did not score.
Their 2025 seasons
In 2025 Mike Gesicki played 13 games and scored 70.7 PPR points, 5.4 a game, finishing TE41.
He caught 28 of 42 targets for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 7 red zone targets.
That came to 3.2 targets a game, a 67 percent catch rate and 11.0 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 38 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 Mike Gesicki scored 5.4 PPR points a game and Darnell Washington 4.6, 0.9 a game between them.
Mike Gesicki finished TE41 that year and Darnell Washington TE39.
Darnell Washington had 1 more targets than Mike Gesicki, 43 to 42.
Darnell Washington had 57 more receiving yards than Mike Gesicki, 364 to 307.
This season Darnell Washington holds the bigger snap share, 65 percent against 48 percent.
This season Darnell Washington holds the bigger target share, 10 percent against 9 percent.
Byes and availability
Mike Gesicki is off in Week 6 and Darnell Washington in Week 9, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Darnell Washington for Mike Gesicki?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Mike Gesicki projects 57 market-implied PPR points from Week 10 through Week 17 (7.1 a game over 8 games), Darnell Washington 49 (6.1 a game over 8 games). For Week 10 the call starts Darnell Washington over Mike Gesicki, 7.2 to 7.0 projected PPR points. So make the move after his Week 10 game.
Should I drop Mike Gesicki for Darnell Washington?
No. Keep Mike Gesicki: he projects 57 market-implied PPR points from Week 10 through Week 17 (7.1 a game over 8 games), Darnell Washington 49 (6.1 a game over 8 games). For Week 10 the call starts Darnell Washington over Mike Gesicki, 7.2 to 7.0 projected PPR points.
Both players in full
Week 10 on the board
- Is Mike Gesicki playing Week 10?
- Is Darnell Washington playing Week 10?
- Bengals depth chart
- Steelers depth chart
- Week 10 TE rankings
- Week 10 fantasy rankings
- Week 10 start or sit
- Week 10 waiver wire
- Week 10 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 10
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 10 kicker rankings
- Week 10 defense rankings
