Darren Waller established himself as one of the elite tight ends in all of fantasy football a few years ago with the Raiders. In 2019 and 2020, he received 117 and 145 targets, respectively, exceeding 1,100 yards in each season while recording at least 90 receptions in both.
After being traded to the NY Giants this offseason in exchange for a third-round pick, he is currently listed as the TE7 on FantasyPros’ consensus rankings. With an average draft position (ADP) of 76, Waller has the upside to easily surpass his ranking and ADP.
Waller instantly becomes Daniel Jones‘ top pass-catching option in the Giants’ offense following the trade and they have made it a point to spend a lot of time together this offseason. With that said, definitely keep the veteran in mind when your fantasy drafts arrive this summer:
Jones to Waller pic.twitter.com/63YACYv8yE
— Giants Daily (@NYGDaily) May 26, 2023
Darren Waller is ready for a big season with the NY Giants
In his career, Waller has amassed two 1,000-yard seasons. The Giants have only one 1,000-yard season from a tight end in the history of their franchise, with Mark Bavaro getting that job done. Waller's combination of size and speed (6-6 and a 4.46 40-yard dash) makes him a matchup nightmare for any defense.
The biggest concern for Waller and Big Blue is his health. He’s missed a combined 14 games in the past two seasons and is turning 31 in September. However, despite missing games, Waller still ranks third among tight ends in both yards and receptions since 2019.
Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll has a proven track record of working with tight ends and so does offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Daboll was the tight end coach of the Patriots from 2013-16, where he worked with future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski.
Kafka spent five seasons with the Chiefs before coming to the Giants and worked closely with another future Hall of Fame tight end in Travis Kelce. The coaching staff is going to know how to put Waller in a position where he can succeed.
Barring injury, Waller should have no issue pushing for 100+ targets in this Giants offense, being that Saquon Barkey (a running back) led the team with 76 targets last year. He is the top option in the receiving room and has a clear path to consistent high-volume production. Waller should be able to maintain at least 20 percent of the target share, which is major for his fantasy value.
Given the fantasy wasteland that the tight end landscape is, Waller has a leg up on the competition based on opportunity alone. A big year should be on the way for him working alongside Danny Dimes.
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