Matthew Freedman recommended selling Darren Waller at his 207.8 FFPC ADP. The veteran tight end is still on the active/PUP list after a year away from football and Mike McDaniel will not commit to him practicing ahead of Week 1. Freedman noted that even TE-premium sharps are abandoning the once-elite option, a red flag he refuses to ignore.

Colm Kelly said he is willing to take Darren Waller in the late-rounds of tight-end-premium best-ball drafts because the price bakes in every bit of uncertainty. Waller now slides into Mike McDaniel’s hyper-efficient passing attack alongside Tyreek Hill, giving him far better TD equity than he ever had with the Giants. Kelly admitted Waller is a “complete black box” after flirting with retirement, but pointed out that this stack with Hill raises the ceiling of the entire roster. At a 17th-round ADP, even a modest 500-yard, seven-touchdown line would massively outperform cost and solve a fragile TE room that missed on the early studs. Kelly framed the bet as an upside swing that fits their four-tight-end build and relies on the Dolphins remaining one of the league’s most functional offenses.

Waller hasn’t cleared 700 yards since 2020 and literally retired last season. Kelley calls any investment—even TE30, 232 ADP—chasing ghosts. If that’s too deep for your draft, he’s also the low man on Tyreek Hill’s first-round ADP.

David Furones urged fantasy gamers to temper expectations for Darren Waller, labeling him a downgrade from the departed Jonnu Smith. Furones pointed out that Miami let Smith walk because they felt his 2024 production was a by-product of defenses bracketing Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, not elite tight-end play. Waller, meanwhile, is coming out of retirement, “in great shape but not in football shape,” and well past his peak seasons. Furones reminded listeners that Mike McDaniel’s offense has never maximized pure pass-catching tight ends—Mike Gesicki flopped under the same play-caller—and the front office reinforced that view by signing Waller cheaply instead of matching Pittsburgh’s offer to Smith. Expect a rotational role with limited target share and scant red-zone looks, making Waller a fade at his current draft cost.

Calling the market “far too low,” Donabedian loves scooping Darren Waller after his move to Miami drove only a modest ADP jump from 228.0 to 188.5 (+17.3 %). Waller still showed juice late in 2023, has just 3,758 career offensive snaps (light mileage for a 33-year-old), and fits perfectly as a TE3 on Dolphins stacks that already feature Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle. Donabedian sees little downside and plenty of spike-week potential at this cost.

Waller leapt from ADP 228.0 to 188.5 (+17.3 %), yet Donabedian still loves him as a late TE3. He notes Waller’s career 1.10 yards per offensive snap (4,124 yards on 3,758 snaps) and relatively low mileage for a soon-to-be 33-year-old. While Jonnu Smith may command more overall targets, Waller can still be the seam-stretch piece in Mike McDaniel’s renewed vertical attack and is especially attractive in Hill/Waddle/Tua builds.

Waller’s ADP jumped 26 spots to 190 after Miami traded for him to replace Jonnu Smith. Strachan framed the move as a perfect ‘why not’ flyer: the Dolphins desperately needed a true pass-catching tight end, Waller costs almost nothing in drafts, and Miami’s suspect defense could force Tua Tagovailoa to push pace and volume. While Waller has logged only six touchdowns over his last 32 games, Strachan views the combination of a TE-friendly system and likely negative game scripts as enough to chase Waller’s previously elite ceiling in the double-digit rounds of best ball drafts.

PPRTyler admitted he regrets every share of Darren Waller he has drafted, despite only $34 of total exposure, and stated flat-out that he will "never draft Waller again." He labeled the tight end "dead," implying that lingering health concerns and declining on-field juice make Waller unable to contribute meaningfully to Best Ball advance rates.

JSU said he is flat-out avoiding Darren Waller in DraftKings Best Ball drafts, noting he “wouldn’t be shocked” if the veteran quits football four games into the season. Waller has already flirted with retirement, battled recurring hamstring and back problems, and is learning yet another playbook after his latest team switch. JSU argued those red flags wipe out any ceiling while creating a catastrophic floor, especially when cheaper options like Tucker Kraft or Noah Gray offer full-season availability at lower cost. Between age, injury history, and uncertain motivation, JSU considers Waller a land-mine pick he is crossing off every roster.

Bill Barnwell advised passing on Darren Waller even at his rock-bottom ADP, calling the veteran “extremely unlikely to be a thing.” Barnwell reminded listeners Waller hasn’t topped 55 catches since 2020, struggled with chronic hamstring issues, and literally retired a month ago before floating a comeback. Even if he lands with Miami, Barnwell noted he would sit behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane in the target pecking order, making him at best the fourth option in a hyper-concentrated offense. In Barnwell’s words, drafting a mid-30s tight end who hasn’t produced in two seasons and will need red-zone luck to matter is “lighting an 18th-round pick on fire.”

Pete Overzet said he refuses to draft Darren Waller on non-Dolphin builds but is happy to grab him as a TE3 when stacked with Tua Tagovailoa. In Pete’s view, Waller is a pure binary bet: either he’s completely dust and scores you nothing, or he bags six touchdowns as a big-bodied seam target in an offense that is ‘humming.’ Because every Best Ball team can survive a late-round zero but few can replicate correlated spike weeks, Overzet is willing to eat the floor for the chance that the Tua-Waller combo adds unique ceiling to dolphin stacks.

Tyler Knaeble said he “doesn’t love clicking” Darren Waller in most rooms, but the tight end becomes a smash in Round 17 of the Puppy. At that cost Knaeble sees virtually no opportunity cost—Waller can be your TE3 while you chase ceiling at other positions. Even if the veteran’s health remains shaky, the late-round tag makes any downside completely palatable while preserving Waller’s top-12 tight-end upside if he finally stays on the field.

Davis Mattek said Darren Waller is one of his favorite final-round stabs on DraftKings because Miami clearly signed him to catch passes, not block. Mattek pointed out that Waller literally walked away from football to avoid run-blocking, yet the Dolphins—who already own one of the league’s worst offensive lines—still recruited him. That signals a dedicated receiving role in Mike McDaniel’s scheme that loves working the middle of the field. Even during last year’s “washed” Giants season Waller ranked 11th among tight ends in yards per route run, so the underlying ability is intact. Mattek expects Waller to out-target Durham Smythe by a mile and provide cheap exposure to a top-five offense on a full-PPR site where tight-end receptions are gold. He called the veteran an ideal TE3 who can spike 6–7 catches whenever defenses sell out to stop Hill and Waddle.

Mike Wright advised passing on Darren Waller, arguing the 33-year-old will struggle to match even Jonnu Smith’s 2024 role (111 targets) despite signing with Miami. The Dolphins were the NFL’s least explosive offense last year, producing only 45 plays of 20-plus yards (31st) and ranking 31st in EPA per rush thanks to a battered offensive line. With Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane already commanding touches, Wright doubts there is enough volume left for an aging tight end who publicly complained about being asked to block and briefly considered retirement. Waller’s most recent season yielded just 8.8 yards per target and one touchdown, so Wright expects nothing more than fringe TE2 numbers even if he becomes the third option. He is steering clear in both best-ball and redraft until Waller proves the legs are back in camp.

Andrew Cooper called the Dolphins’ tight-end depth chart "a complete dumpster fire" and is fading it across all Best Ball formats. Miami let 800-yard producer Jonnu Smith walk, then replaced him with Darren Waller, whose last three seasons have been derailed by chronic hamstring flare-ups and a mid-career retirement to pursue rap. Behind Waller sit Tanner Conner, Julian Hill, and late-round rookie Jalen Conyers—names Cooper said “wouldn’t even scare a Sun Belt defense.” He reminded listeners that Mike McDaniel’s scheme already siphons snaps to a fullback and extra blockers, leaving precious few pass routes for whoever starts. If Waller’s legs betray him again, Cooper sees zero fantasy-usable contingencies, making the entire room a trap pick despite Miami’s explosive offense. His advice: fade Waller at current ADP and allocate late-round tight-end darts to cleaner depth charts.

Billy Jones advised scooping Darren Waller in the final round of slow drafts now that Underdog has added him to the player pool following reports Miami is kicking the tires. Waller was a top-five fantasy tight end when healthy (23 % target share during his peak with the Raiders) and would slide into an offense that just vacated Jonnu Smith’s 60-plus targets. Because closed contests have already locked rosters, Billy believes active slow drafters can grab a unique, virtually unowned player who could become Tua Tagovailoa’s red-zone weapon if the Dolphins sign him.

Holloway poured cold water on the idea that a 33-year-old Darren Waller, freshly un-retired, will replace Jonnu Smith’s production in Miami. He doubts Waller can handle anything close to the 20 % target share Smith vacated after a season and a half away from football and a decline in explosiveness the last time we saw him. Holloway expects Waller to serve as a red-zone specialist rather than a volume pass catcher, meaning Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Devon Achane should continue to dominate weekly target distribution. Fantasy managers are advised to leave Waller on waiver wires outside of tight-end premium leagues.