Darren Waller

Darren Waller

31-Year-Old Tight EndTE
New York Giants
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Waller has demonstrated one of the highest ceilings among tight ends, but numerous factors will be working against him reaching it in 2023. After consecutive seasons with at least 1,145 yards in 2019 and 2020, Waller missed 14 games due to injuries over the last two years. In 2022 under new coach Josh McDaniel, the tight end averaged only 3.1 catches and 43.1 yards per game after averaging at least 5.0 and 60.5, respectively, in each of the previous three seasons. If McDaniels’ offense was the problem, Waller should benefit from a change of scenery following an offseason trade to the Giants, though the 6-foot-6 tight end will have to establish chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones. While Jones has averaged just 15 touchdown passes per season and hit that underwhelming number on the nose last year, Waller is arguably better than any pass catcher Jones has worked with thus far. The veteran tight end – who turns 31 in September – could become the go-to option in New York’s passing game after being overshadowed by wide receiver Davante Adams in Vegas last year. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Raiders in September of 2022. Traded to the Giants in March of 2023.
Should decide on retirement soon
TENew York Giants
March 7, 2024
Waller said Wednesday that he's still undecided on retirement but will make a decision "pretty soon," Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
While he doesn't expect to decide before the start of the 2024 league year March 11, the 31-year-old tight end said he doesn't want it become "this drawn-out thing" and will give the Giants time to adjust if they end up needing to replace him. If he waits too long the team might take the decision out of his hands, as Waller doesn't have any guarantees remaining on his contract and is scheduled for at least $12 million in compensation each of the next three seasons. The Giants can free up $11.625 million in cap space by declaring Waller as a post-June 1 release, though multiple reports have suggested they'd rather have him back. The tight end was on pace to catch 85 passes for 923 yards through seven games in 2023 before a Week 8 hamstring injury derailed his season and led to a third straight year with at least five missed games. He had 2,341 yards and 12 TDs in 32 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, compared to 1,605 yards and six TDs in 32 games over the past three years combined.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Darren Waller's 2023 advanced stats compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
47.8
 
Air Yards Per Snap
1.05
 
% Team Air Yards
16.4%
 
% Team Targets
15.3%
 
Avg Depth of Target
7.7 Yds
 
Catch Rate
70.3%
 
Drop Rate
4.1%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
4.1
 
% Targeted On Route
21.6%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
1.61
 
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2023
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
New York GiantsGiants 2023 TE Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

66263%
54451%
949%
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How often does Darren Waller run a route when on the field for a pass play?
This data will let you see how Darren Waller and the other tight ends for the Giants are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.
Darren Waller
342 routes   74 targets
← More Blocking
% Routes Run
More Receiving →
63%
258 routes   28 targets
39%
47 routes   5 targets
50%
54 routes   4 targets
15%
120 routes   8 targets
28%
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Darren Waller lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2023 Darren Waller Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Darren Waller's measurables compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 6"
 
Weight
245 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.46 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.25 sec
 
Cone Drill
7.07 sec
 
Vertical Jump
37.0 in
 
Broad Jump
125 in
 
Bench Press
12 reps
 
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2017
2016
2015
After back-to-back seasons with more than 1,100 receiving yards, Waller was plagued by ankle, knee and back injuries last year, hobbling along to 665 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. It is fair to wonder if injuries will continue to bother him, considering he turns 30 in September, but he has proven beyond all doubt that he is among the elite receivers at his position. That said, the Raiders’ offseason trade for star wide receiver Davante Adams bumps Waller to second in the pecking order of quarterback Derek Carr’s pass catchers. Adams' presence could drop Waller to less than eight targets per game for the first time since his 2019 breakout season, but it will also mean less defensive attention, potentially helping his efficiency. Plus, the Raiders offense should improve on the whole, which could allow Waller to approach his hefty red-zone volume from 2020 even while competing with Adams and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow for targets. Waller caught nine touchdown passes and ranked second in the league behind Adams with 23 red-zone targets that year, but he has not found the end zone more than three times in any of his other five seasons. That should change this season in Las Vegas, even if the new team context leads to fewer targets overall for Waller.
Waller quickly dismissed any notion of his 2019 breakout being a fluke, coming out of the gate strong last season with 40 receptions in his first six games. The late-blooming 28-year-old then went through a bit of a midseason slump, before closing out the year on an absolute tear with 654 yards and four touchdowns over the final five weeks. Waller finished the season tied for sixth in the NFL with 145 targets, while no other Raider saw more than 82 (Nelson Agholor, who signed with New England in March). The Raiders surely expect to get more out of their wide receivers this year, but neither John Brown, Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards nor Hunter Renfrow poses a serious threat to Waller's alpha status in the passing game, especially with Derek Carr still playing quarterback for Las Vegas. Carr's accuracy on short passes makes him an excellent partner for Waller, who picked up 48.8 percent of his yards after the catch over the last two seasons. He might not have the 4.46 speed he had as a 238-pound wide receiver coming out of college in 2015, but there's no question Waller is among the elite athletes at his new position, where he’s been decent enough as a blocker to handle snap shares higher than 90 percent in back-to-back seasons.
Waller took the long path to NFL stardom, with his breakout performance occurring four days before he turned 27 in Week 1 last year. He doubled his career receiving yardage by Week 3, eventually finishing the season top 3 among tight ends in catches and yards. Waller also tied for second among tight ends in YPT (9.8), while he was sixth in YAC average (6.6) and second in broken tackles (eight). Four years earlier, the sixth-round pick had entered the NFL as an oversized wide receiver before transitioning to tight end in his second season with the Ravens, but he never had much of a chance to develop at the position while serving suspensions for substance abuse violations. Waller has been open about his struggle, pointing to a sober, healthy lifestyle as the spark that eventually led to on-field success. Clearly impressed, the Raiders signed him to a four-year, $29.8 million extension in October, though they also went shopping for depth in the offseason with Jason Witten coming in on a one-year contract. While there's no doubt Waller will be the team's top receiving threat at tight end, he could see his snaps scaled back from last year's 90.3 percent share, with any decrease potentially impacting his target volume. There is also some incoming target competition from other positions, after the Raiders selected Henry Ruggs, Lynn Bowden and Bryan Edwards within the first three rounds of the 2020 draft. The good news is that Waller has shown enough talent and polish to survive as a fantasy asset even if his volume dips.
There are big shoes to fill at tight end in Oakland following the departure of Jared Cook in free agency as the 2018 Pro Bowler racked up a combined 122 catches for 1,584 yards and eight touchdowns on 187 targets over his two seasons with the Raiders. Waller, an athletic former-receiver type, has been picking up steam as the likely replacement for Cook with plenty of upside and sleeper value given the potential volume available and lack of overall competition at tight end. The Georgia Tech product has a history of reliability concerns and off-the-field issues, but Waller provided a brief spark throughout the Raiders' final four contests last season when he caught all six of his targets for 75 yards, including a 44-yard pickup against the Bengals in Week 15.
Waller's athletic upside coupled with Baltimore's attrition at the tight end position made him a trendy deep sleeper early in the summer; however, a year-long suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy throws cold water on his fantasy relevance until 2018.
Waller shifted from wide receiver to tight end during the offseason, which makes sense given his 6-foot-6, 245 pound frame. As a rookie in 2015, he saw action in just six games and only hauled in two catches. Suspended the first four games of 2016 and in his first year at tight end, it seems unlikely he has much fantasy value, though some improvement from last year should be expected.
At 6-6, 238 pounds, Waller recorded a 4.46 40-yard dash and 37.5-inch vertical leap at the NFL Combine. He still lasted until the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, after catching just 51 passes during his three years at Georgia Tech. He may have to compete for a roster spot, but the Ravens will likely look for a way to keep him around, even if he isn't expected to contribute in 2015.
More Fantasy News
Not certain to return after all
TENew York Giants
March 2, 2024
Waller still hasn't decided whether he will return to the Giants for the 2024 season or retire, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Expected back in New York for 2024
TENew York Giants
March 1, 2024
Waller thought about retiring earlier this offseason, but he'll continue playing football and isn't expected to be a cap casualty, Paul Schwartz and Ryan Dunleavy of the NY Post report.
ANALYSIS
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Tallies 45 yards in season finale
TENew York Giants
January 8, 2024
Waller brought in five of six targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 27-10 win over Philadelphia.
ANALYSIS
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Five catches in Week 17
TENew York Giants
December 31, 2023
Waller caught five of six targets for 51 yards in Sunday's 26-25 loss to the Rams.
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Upgrades to full practice
TENew York Giants
December 28, 2023
Waller (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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