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Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller has established himself as one of the top fantasy tight ends over the past three seasons. Even in a down year in 2021, He finished as the No. 17 TE in PPR scoring. Waller dealt with assorted injuries, which limited him to just 11 games last year, which partially explains his disappointing finish.
Taller missed almost all of August with a hamstring strain this preseason making a brief return in the middle of the month. He only recently returned to the practice field on August 31, just in time to start preparing for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
To add another layer to the story, Waller was also angling for a new contract extension with the Raiders and is reportedly looking to become the highest-paid tight end in the league. That led many onlookers to believe that he was "holding out" of camp without officially holding out to avoid fines. With all that said, let's consider what to expect from Waller in the upcoming season.
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Is Darren Waller Healthy?
As mentioned above, Waller returned to practice on Wednesday, August 31, and appears to be fully over his hamstring issue.
#Raiders McDaniels says TE Darren Waller will be practicing today. "Excited," McDaniels said.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) August 31, 2022
It is also important to note that Waller recently changed agents, leaving Klutch Sports and joining up with Drew Rosenhaus. It might just be a coincidence that Waller returned to the field around the same time he changed representation, but it is more likely that he is back because he is close to agreeing upon an extension with Las Vegas. Needless to say, Waller appears to be fully healthy and should be out there without restrictions for Week 1 when the season opens.
Raiders’ TE Darren Waller, who has been seeking a contract extension throughout the off-season, signed this morning with agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. “The hope,” Rosenhaus said, “is to get this deal done as soon as possible.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2022
Where Should I Draft Darren Waller?
Now that the hamstring/contract situation has been covered, the next question to cover is where to draft Waller in fantasy football this season. Waller is coming off draft boards as the TE5, and fantasy managers are generally spending an early fifth-round pick on him.
There is concern that Waller won't see the volume that propelled him to finish as the No. 3 tight end in 2019 and the No. 2 at the position in 2020. He had very little competition those seasons as the Raiders' leading receivers were Tyrell Williams in 2019 and Nelson Agholor in 2020. The competition for targets will be much stiffer in 2022 as the Raiders added notorious target hog Davante Adams, in the offseason and will bring back Hunter Renfrow in the slot. Adams saw 169 targets with the Green Bay Packers in 2021, while Renfrow led the Raiders with 128.
Waller remains one of the most talented and explosive tight ends in the league, but the lack of volume leaves him looking more like a low-end TE1 or high-end TE2 in 2022, making his acquisition cost a bit pricey for fantasy managers. Unless he drops at least two rounds (or more) below his ADP of 57.63, Waller's current price makes him an easy fade.
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