Darnell Washington · Jonnu Smith · 2026 week 9

Darnell Washington or Jonnu Smith?

Wondering who you should start this week — Darnell Washington or Jonnu Smith? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Darnell WashingtonDarnell Washington projects 5.2 PPR points clear of Jonnu Smith in week 9, drawing CIN — the 10th-ranked matchup for TEs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Darnell Washington START	@ CIN	7.2	10th	10.8	–	healthy
Jonnu Smith	@ NE	2.0	24th	2.8	–	healthy

TEs vs CIN recently: Greg Dulcich 5.7 pts (W5) · Josh Cuevas 3.5 pts (W7) · Gunnar Helm 9.6 pts (W8).

TEs vs NE recently: Mason Taylor 3.3 pts (W6) · Colston Loveland 12.9 pts (W7) · Greg Dulcich 4.3 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

Darnell Washington projects 5.2 points higher in PPR.
Darnell Washington faces CIN, 10th most generous to TEs.
Jonnu Smith faces NE, 24th most generous to TEs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Their trade values are effectively even — a one-for-one is a fair swap on the numbers.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

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All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.