Darren Waller Should Be Considered An Elite Fantasy Tight End
My fantasy draft didn’t go exactly according to plan this year. Somehow, my Plan B team feels better than the plan A team. Mostly because I didn’t think Plan B was possible. Darren Waller should be considered an elite fantasy tight end and is borderline disrespected in fantasy drafts.
Story time:
I had moved up in my rookie draft from pick 13 (the last pick after winning the league) to pick 2. I was locked in on Kyle Pitts and the team picking first had made it clear he was taking Zach Wilson. Can’t blame him in a two quarterback league. I traded away Mark Andrews as part of the package to move up.
The team that had the first pick reversed course and took Kyle Pitts. I considered myself screwed at tight end at that point. I moved down again in the rookie draft and started scrambling what to do at tight end. George Kittle and Travis Kelce were already under contract. I had limited cap space, to begin with as my roster was already set and am locked in with $50 Deshaun Watson (who knows there).
Little did I know I would accident myself into Darren Waller for $22 in a $250 cap league. What the hell? Is this how little the rest of fantasy owners view Waller? Color me shocked at the time and still can’t believe it.
Waller should be considered an ELITE fantasy tight end. No questions asked. Without hesitation, Waller should be considered a top three play at the position with Kelce and Kittle. But why isn’t Waller viewed that way?
The former Georgia Tech product notched 1,196 receiving yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. He also had 146 targets which is a HEALTHY number at the position. Early reports in camp also suggest Waller could even have a bigger year based on the way the offense is projecting. Waller’s target share could increase despite having more mouths to feed in the offense.
Waller may have started out as a project but it’s hard to find tight ends that can replicate that kind of production. The list beyond the top three is crapshoot city. So why isn’t Waller getting more love in fantasy drafts? I don’t have an answer for you.
Sign me up for the Darren Waller fan club. I was one of the first members and have seen this breakout coming for a long time. Now that it’s here, why aren’t more people willing to ride the train?
