Engram
TE · DEN vs SF
Proj pts
7.7pts
market
Washington
TE · PIT vs CLE
Proj pts
6.7pts
market
Darnell Washington or Evan Engram: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Evan Engram. Bench Darnell Washington. Evan Engram leads at 7.7. Darnell Washington is the first one out, 0.9 short.
Highlights
Pros
- Favorable matchupFavorable · B+ vs TE
Cons
- Rotational role42% of snaps
- Shaky floor2.8 floor
Cons
- Low TE usage11% target share
- Thin volume3.3 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 targets / game: Engram 4.8, Washington 3.3.
Latest game on the card: Engram 0 (PPR points).
Why Evan Engram
Start Evan Engram — projects 7.7, a favorable matchup vs SF.
Evan Engram projects 7.7 points on a 2.8–11.7 range. The matchup grades as favorable against SF. Usage: targets / game at 4.8. Net: start Evan Engram this week.
Working for Engram: Favorable matchup (Favorable · B+ vs TE).
Working against Engram: Rotational role (42% of snaps), Shaky floor (2.8 floor).
Where Engram leads the head-to-head: Projection (7.7 vs 6.7); Ceiling (11.7 vs 9.1); Target share (14% vs 11%); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (B+ vs D+); Implied team total (22.3 vs 20.5); Last 3 avg (5.7 vs 5.1); Last 5 avg (6.1 vs 5.1); Targets / game (4.8 vs 3.3); Red zone targets (12 vs 9).
Why Darnell Washington
Sit 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: bench 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: Floor (3.0 vs 2.8); vs season (+0.7 vs -0.1); Consistency (51% vs 41%); Boom rate (25% vs 19%); Bust rate (25% vs 31%); Snap share (60% vs 42%); Touchdown dependence (8% vs 6%).
Recent form
Evan Engram's last 5 games: PPR points 6.1, 7.5, 14.3, 2.7, 0 (oldest to newest).
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).
Engram has already beaten Washington's 6.7 projection in 2 of his 5; Washington has beaten Engram's 7.7 in 1 of his 3.
At least 1 of these 5 games was played before the 2026 season.
Matchup
Evan Engram (DEN) faces SF, kickoff Sun, Oct 4, 4:25 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 22.3, spread +3.0.
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.
What flips it
Engram's edge is 1 points (7.7 to 6.7). Washington's ceiling (9.1) clears Engram's projection, so a big game from Washington flips it. Engram's floor (2.8) sits under Washington's projection, so a quiet game from Engram 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)