Waller has 28 yards in Week 1 loss

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Waller had a quiet day in a dream matchup where rookie QB Quinn Ewers couldn’t find the space up the seam. Waller’s longest grab was a 22-yarder where Ewers got hit and delivered a wobbler. With Ewers an uncertain commodity and the Bucs a matchup downgrade for Week 17 — every team is better vs. tight ends than Cincinnati — Waller will be more of a touchdown-dependent TE2 than legitimate TE1 for the fantasy finals.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel meant it when he said everything was on the table after Miami’s humiliating Monday night loss to the Steelers. Tua Tagovailoa will take a seat in Week 16 — and perhaps beyond — after his dismal play throughout 2025. Tagovailoa ranks 27th out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in adjusted yards per attempt, 14th in drop back success rate, and 26th in EPA per drop back through Week 15. He has just three TD passes over his past four games in the run-heavy Miami offense. Ewers in the preseason completed 23 of 43 attempts for 273 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked on nearly half of his pressures. Ewers should be considered a fringe superflex option for Week 16 against a miserable Bengals defense allowing two passing scores per game.