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    Panthers sign TE Darren Waller

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    Panthers signed TE Darren Waller, formerly of the Dolphins, to a one-year contract.

    Waller returned from retirement to play in nine games for the Dolphins last season. He hauled in 24-of-34 targets for 283 and six touchdowns before a groin injury ended his season prior to Week 18. The 33-year-old has a chance at being a red zone target for the Panthers, who previously had Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, and Ja’Tavion Sanders listed at tight end. Waller brings veteran experience as a late add who should get enough usage to make him an option as a low-end TE2 for fantasy purposes.
How high is too high for McMillan?
Kyle Dvorchak and Patrick Daugherty discuss Tetairoa McMillan’s breakout, his emergence as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver and whether he can finish as a top-12 fantasy wideout.

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  • CAR Tight End #88
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    Waller saw minimal involvement as quarterback Bryce Young leaned into his top option through the air, feeding Tetairoa McMillan 16 targets on 41 pass attempts in the absence of both Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette. Fantasy managers that scooped Waller off of waivers following his two-touchdown game in Week 2 are surely left disappointed in the recent returns, making Waller a potential drop candidate as the Panthers head to their bye.
  • CAR Tight End #88
    With Xavier Legette (knee) sidelined and Jalen Coker (quad) joining him, Panthers tight ends Waller, Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans combined for 11/128. It was Waller’s most prolific receiving day of the season even though he didn’t find the end zone. Waller is undoubtedly providing valuable real-life reps for the Cats, but with 10 total receptions through three contests, he is looking like too much of a role player to rise above TE2 streamer status heading into Week 4 against the Lions.
  • CAR Tight End #88
    Waller saw as many targets as Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans combined. Unlike the other Carolina tight ends, Waller is still an explosive pass-catcher and a de facto wide receiver. When Bryce Young looked his way, it was for a big play. He made good on the minor role with his first two touchdowns as a Panther. Waller only has five targets through two weeks. He will make the occasional big play, but it’s hard to get him in fantasy lineups with such a limited role.
  • CAR Tight End #88
    Waller had a short touchdown grab called back on offensive pass interference while rotating snaps and routes with Tommy Tremble. Both Panthers tight ends ran 19 routes on the day and saw two targets from Bryce Young. Waller will continue as a touchdown-reliant TE2 option in Week 2 against the Falcons.
  • CAR Tight End #0
    Sanders, who worked through a lingering ankle injury this offseason, won’t suit up for the team’s season opener. That leaves Darren Waller and Tommy Tremble as the Panthers’ top two tight ends against Chicago. Waller will be a touchdown-dependent TE2 option who probably won’t run many routes in the run-first Carolina offense. Tremble should remain on waiver wires.
  • CAR Tight End #88
    Waller looked “big and fast” in Monday practice, per head coach Dave Canales, and reportedly hit 20 MPH on one of his routes. The veteran tight end was seen catching passes from Bryce Young and could have a chance to suit up for the Panthers’ Week 1 game against the Bears. It’s still too early to know how significant a role Waller will have in Canales’ offense, but he could have some fantasy viability as a streaming option in what is a very thin tight end room in Carolina.
  • CAR Tight End
    While the team has yet to decide when Waller will make his 2026 debut, Waller said his readiness for the upcoming season is “night and day from last year to this year.” Last season, Waller was returning from retirement and needed a lot of time to ramp up. Now, it sounds like Waller could be in a position to at least be ready for the start of the season for a Panthers team that’s in need of help at the tight end position. While his days as a weekly TE1 are well behind him, Waller could have some upside as a matchup-based streamer once we get a better sense of his role in the offense.
  • MIA Tight End #83
    Waller had seen his role in the offense diminish since Quinn Ewers took over as quarterback. The 33-year-old tight end had 66 yards and two touchdowns in his last game with Tua Tagovailoa, but had just 40 yards in a dream matchup against the Bengals in Ewers’ first start. Last week, Greg Dulcich usurped Waller completely. With Waller’s season now over, Dulcich has the role all to himself in Week 18. Waller finished with 283 yards and six touchdowns in three starts, proving he still has TE1 upside in his range of weekly outcomes even if it comes with a heaping serving of “left Week X’s game and did not return.” Waller, 34 at the start of next season, will be a free agent this offseason.
  • MIA Tight End #83
    The Dolphins have let TE Greg Dulcich play ahead of Waller recently. If Waller is unable to play in Week 18 against the Patriots, the coaching staff will only be further incentivized to see what they have in Dulcich. Stay tuned.
  • MIA Tight End #85
    Dulcich was the Dolphins’ leading target-getter against the Bucs, doing all of his damage in the first half. He scored an 11-yard touchdown at the end of the second quarter and did not record a catch in the second half. Dulcich also added a carry in the red zone that went for a loss of seven yards. He has worked ahead of Darren Waller at the tight end spot for the last few weeks, with Waller catching just one pass for no gain in Week 17. The Dolphins offense will undergo changes heading into next season, but Dulcich is a viable fantasy TE2 for those still playing fantasy games in Week 18.

Rotoworld

  • CHI Running Back #25
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    Bears coach Ben Johnson said Kyle Monangai (thumb) is “going to be OK” and that it was a “day to day deal.”

    Monangai seemingly winds up on the injury report every other week, but he keeps playing and keeps playing well. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him listed again this week, but it sounds like he’s very much in line to play against the Packers.
  • MIA Wide Receiver #7
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    Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said the team is taking it “one day at a time” with Caleb Douglas’ ankle injury.

    It’s hard to know what to make of this, but Douglas has missed back-to-back games with his injury and could be at risk of missing a third straight game if he can’t get on the practice field ahead of Week 5’s game against the Bengals. Douglas did not practice at all last week, so even getting on the field in a limited capacity would be an improvement. His name will be one to keep an eye on when the Dolphins release their first injury report on Wednesday.
  • KC Wide Receiver #2
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Tyquan Thornton (ankle) will miss 12-16 weeks.

    Thornton is having surgery “within the week” with the hopes of being able to return late in the season or in the playoffs for the Chiefs. Xavier Worthy will likely shift up in the target pecking order absent an outside addition. Cyrus Allen could also get more run than he has over the first month of the season.
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    Cowboys designated LG Tyler Smith (thumb) for return from injured reserve.

    Smith’s 21-day practice window will now open, giving the team three weeks to officially activate him from IR or rule him out for the season. Smith was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season after undergoing surgery to correct an issue that he had previously put off. Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler and 2023 second-team All-Pro can be activated at any time.
  • CAR Outside Linebacker #5
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    Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he is “hopeful” Jaelan Phillips (hamstring) will be able to play in Week 6 against the Eagles.

    Phillips went down with a hamstring injury late in Sunday’s game against the Lions and didn’t return to the field. For a player with Phillips’ injury history, there were immediate concerns regarding the severity of the injury, but with a Week 5 bye on tap, the hope is Phillips won’t miss much time, if any. Phillips has totaled two sacks in his first four games of the season. In addition to Phillips, the team is also hopeful that OT Monroe Freeling (knee) will be able to return in Week 6.
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Eagles EDGE Jonathan Greenard is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury.

    Greenard was downgraded from questionable return to doubtful during last week’s loss to the Rams, but it sounds like he’ll have a chance to suit up in Week 5 against the Jaguars if he’s able to log a few days of practice this week. Greenard missed the first two games of this season due to an oblique injury and has totaled just one tackle on the year.
  • PHI Running Back #26
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    Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said he’ll “have more answers Wednesday” on Saquon Barkley’s hamstring injury.

    Barkley went down early in Sunday’s loss to the Rams and did not return to the game. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said earlier on Monday that Barkley’s injury “does not seem to be overly serious,” but with the Eagles taking on the Jaguars in London next week, it wouldn’t be surprising if he missed at least one game. Backup Tank Bigsby led the Eagles with 55 rushing yards on 14 carries and could be a viable RB2 if Barkley is out.
  • PIT Defensive Tackle
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    Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said Derrick Harmon (foot) will be placed on injured reserve.

    He’ll be eligible to return in Week 9. Harmon had shown some increased pass rush ability in his four games so far this season and this is a tough loss for the Steelers defense in the short-term.
  • BAL Quarterback #8
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    Ravens coach Jesse Minter said he didn’t know the chances of Lamar Jackson (ankle) playing in Week 5 yet but said he didn’t think “it’s going to be crazy long-term.”

    The Ravens didn’t have the results of the imaging yet and punted on a real answer here, meaning we’ll have plenty more updates on Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury as the week goes on. This will probably get a sourced update tonight and, if not, then on Tuesday. Welcome back to LamarWatch, a subsidiary of Rotoworld industries.
  • CIN Wide Receiver #1
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    Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Ja’Marr Chase is in concussion protocol.

    Chase exited Week 4’s game against the Jaguars with a brain injury and didn’t return to the game. He will now need to clear a series of tests in the coming days if he hopes to be cleared in time to play in the Bengals’ Week 5 game against the Dolphins. Chase caught three passes for 27 yards before leaving Sunday’s game against the Jaguars and has caught 21 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns this season. If he’s unable to play, Dohnte Meyers, who has seen 14 targets over the last two weeks, could be worth a stash in deeper leagues with Tee Higgins (adductor) also considered day-to-day to start the week.