Darren

Waller

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.

Six of Waller’s seven receptions came on three fourth quarter possessions as the team entered desperation mode after falling behind 28-3, two of which were touchdowns. The first was a “yolo” ball thrown by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa into Waller’s vicinity, with the former basketball player high-pointing the football over Asante Samuel Jr in the corner of the end zone. The two would then hook for a touchdown from 13 yards out on the subsequent possession as Waller broke free of his defender in the end zone. Waller’s best game of the season could not come at a better time for fantasy managers in the first week of the playoffs. He gets a golden opportunity for a curtain call performance against the Bengals in Week 16, who rank dead last in the league in fantasy points allowed per game to opposing tight ends.

Waller also received one carry for four yards. He was mainly quiet with the passing game having a low volume day in a blowout win. Greg Dulcich out-snapped Waller, 35 to 24 on the day. Waller’s receiving output will vary with the Dolphins’ passing volume as his one-catch day comes just one week after leading the team with 47 yards in Week 13. With Dulcich involved, Waller is squarely in the TE2 ranks for Week 15 against the Steelers.

Waller was responsible for the Dolphins’ biggest play of the game, a 34-yard strike down the sideline that set up a field goal in the second quarter. A few big plays are all you could ask for from Waller after coming off injured reserve over the weekend. He hadn’t played since Week 7 heading into today’s game. Waller’s role should increase over the next few weeks, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue to split reps with Greg Dulcich. Waller will be stuck in the TE2 ranks for for Week 14.