DARREN WALLER

2/27/22, 6:19 PM

Updated:

INJURY RISK

Long-Term:

2/5

2/5

Sleeping on Darren Waller in ’22 is very likely a mistake. Here’s why:

(1) Injury. He was in and out of lineups, and missed over a month with an IT band strain. That’s not expected to recur or cause durability concerns.

(2) Track record. Yes, he had only 665 yards and 2 TDs last year. But don’t forget about his prior production. He put up over 90 receptions and 1100 yards in each of the 2 previous seasons. Those are Tier 1 numbers for a tight end.

(3) ADP. @FantasyPros has him at slot 49, around the likes of Michael Pittman Jr. and Brandin Cooks. You can snag a good WR there, but it’s a much deeper position. Importantly, Waller is the lowest-ranked of the elite tight ends, so spending a 5th rounder to get Waller over a 3rd to pick Kyle Pitts or George Kittle is highly appealing.

Kittle has to deal with QB uncertainty, and Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce are going in rounds 1 or 2, so I’ll be targeting Waller or Pitts heavily. Hopefully my league-mates aren’t reading this to do the same.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall, CC-BY-4.0

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