Washington
TE · PIT vs CLE
Proj pts
6.7pts
market
Kmet
TE · CHI vs NYJ
Proj pts
5.4pts
market
Cole Kmet or Darnell Washington: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Darnell Washington. Bench Cole Kmet. Darnell Washington leads at 6.7. Cole Kmet is the first one out, 1.3 short.
Highlights
Cons
- Low TE usage11% target share
- Thin volume3.3 targets/g
Pros
- Favorable matchupFavorable · B+ vs TE
Cons
- Low TE usage10% target share
- Thin volume3.0 targets/g
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 29 Sep, 6:00 AM ET
The widest gap between them, in proportion, is touchdown dependence: Washington 8%, Kmet 15%.
Latest game on the card: Kmet 0 (PPR points).
Why Darnell Washington
Start Darnell Washington — projects 6.7, a tough matchup vs CLE.
Darnell Washington projects 6.7 points on a 3.0–9.1 range. The matchup grades as tough against CLE. Usage: targets / game at 3.3. Net: start Darnell Washington this week.
Working against Washington: Low TE usage (11% target share), Thin volume (3.3 targets/g).
Where Washington leads the head-to-head: Projection (6.7 vs 5.4); Floor (3.0 vs 2.8); Target share (11% vs 10%); Last 3 avg (5.1 vs 3.8); Last 5 avg (5.1 vs 4.1); vs season (+0.7 vs -0.8); Consistency (51% vs 36%); Targets / game (3.3 vs 3.0).
Why Cole Kmet
Sit Cole Kmet — projects 5.4, a favorable matchup vs NYJ, but the role is cooling.
Cole Kmet projects 5.4 points on a 2.8–9.6 range. The matchup grades as favorable against NYJ. Usage: targets / game at 3.0. Net: bench Cole Kmet this week.
Working for Kmet: Favorable matchup (Favorable · B+ vs TE).
Working against Kmet: Low TE usage (10% target share), Thin volume (3.0 targets/g).
Where Kmet leads the head-to-head: Ceiling (9.6 vs 9.1); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (B+ vs D+); Implied team total (23.5 vs 20.5); Snap share (71% vs 60%); Touchdown dependence (15% vs 8%); Rest / schedule (Short week (5d) vs Short week (4d)).
Recent form
Darnell Washington's last 3 games: PPR points 1.7, 3.8, 9.7 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).
Cole Kmet's last 5 games: PPR points 3.6, 5.6, 11.5, 0, 0 (oldest to newest).
Washington has already beaten Kmet's 5.4 projection in 1 of his 3; Kmet has beaten Washington's 6.7 in 1 of his 5.
At least 1 of these 5 games was played before the 2026 season.
Matchup
Darnell Washington (PIT) faces CLE, kickoff Thu, Oct 1, 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 20.5, spread -2.5.
Cole Kmet (CHI) faces NYJ, kickoff Sun, Oct 4, 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 23.5, spread -3.5.
What flips it
Washington's edge is 1.3 points (6.7 to 5.4). Kmet's ceiling (9.6) clears Washington's projection, so a big game from Kmet flips it. Washington's floor (3) sits under Kmet's projection, so a quiet game from Washington flips it too. Confidence in the call: moderate.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.
This week's toughest calls
- Colston Loveland or Hunter Henry11.3 · 11.2
- Juwan Johnson or Tucker Kraft12.3 · 12.2
- AJ Barner or Hunter Henry11.2 · 11.2
- Isaiah Likely or Tucker Kraft12.2 · 12.2
- Brenton Strange or Colston Loveland11.4 · 11.3
- AJ Barner or Colston Loveland11.2 · 11.3
- More TE start/sit calls (tight ends this week)