Will Darren Waller's Return In Miami Mean Fantasy Football Goodness?

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter:

The big, lingering question after Monday’s Jonnu Smith trade was what the hell the Dolphins were going to do at TE in 2025.

An initial glance at the depth chart was not inspiring, to say the least … Julian Hill? Pharaoh Brown?? Tanner Conner???

Fortunately, Miami did not make us wait a long time before addressing the Jonnu-sized hole in its offense. Yesterday, they traded for Dallas Goedert.

Just kidding.

They didn’t do that, but they did coax a rapper by the name of Darren Waller out of retirement. If you are waiting for another “just kidding” then you’ll be waiting for awhile. This is somehow very real.

To acquire Waller, who is 32 years old and 541 days removed from his last NFL action, the Dolphins sent a conditional 2026 sixth to the Giants in exchange for Waller and a seventh-round pick.

Waller’s one-year deal with the Dolphins—what, you didn’t want to put a ring on it for a few more years?!—is worth up to $5 million dollars.

If it’s not clear, I’m pretty skeptical that Waller will have any value in 2025. A starting TE does not automatically equate to fantasy points—just ask Durham Smythe, who was the “starting” TE in this same offense two years ago.

That said, the projections are likely going to disagree with me. Dwain’s initial run has him at TE15 in half PPR (8.3 ppg), which is certainly not nothing.

I don’t have any plans to touch Waller in best ball, although I guess he’d be fine as a last-round pick in managed leagues. If he turns back the clock and stays healthy, you can ride it out. Otherwise, you’ll be free to release him back to the waiver wire. Either way, I’ll want to hear some very positive news from training camp before I capitulate.

Until then, check out Chris Allen’s piece below for some real TE sleepers …

INSTEAD MAYBE DRAFT LAST YEAR’S TE5 IN UR SCORE

Strange Brew Of Tight End Sleepers

Yes, Ian is regularly saying that in the early rounds he wants to get one of the top TEs in Brock Bowers or Trey McBride … maybe George Kittle a little further down. Well, what happens if those players are gone, and you went another direction? There are options.

Chris Allen zeroed in on three players who may be further down your cheatsheet, but could still contribute on your fantasy squad. Remember their names, because if one of them comes through for you, it could mean big things later in the fantasy season. ⬇️

REVEAL THE TE SLEEPERS

2025 Fantasy Life Draft Kit Is Here!

Rankings? Oh, how we’ve got you. Sleepers? Wake up and check these out. Risers? Fallers? Yes, yes. Team previews? Forget all-22, we have all 32. Mock Drafts? We have them, and more to come.

The Fantasy Life Draft Kit is ready as the calendar turns to the second half of the year. Yup, we can start to see fantasy football draft szn coming, which means we’ve consolidated all the information you’ll need in one place. Make sure to bookmark this page, because we’ll keep adding to it. ⤵️

RANKINGS, ROOKIES, BREAKOUTS, SLEEPERS … WE’VE GOT YOU

Herbert to Ladd, Can’t Be So Bad

Justin Herbert has an arm as powerful as any human on the planet. He’s filled up fantasy points leaderboards, passing for over 5,000 yards in 2021 and finishing third in fantasy points per game at 22.7 that same season. Playing under former QB Jim Harbaugh, that should mean the sky is the limit. Right? Not so much.

Harbaugh and the front office have invested in the offensive line and running game, picking Omarion Hampton in the first round and signing Najee Harris in free agency this offseason. Will this mean the Chargers take the game back to 1977? Not yet, with Ladd McConkey coming off a stellar rookie season with an 8.3 Utilization Score from Week 10 through the Chargers’ playoff elimination in the Wild Card round. Will Herbert and McConkey keep making beautiful music even alongside a formidable running game? Ian Hartitz presents an electric preview for the Bolts. ⬇️

HOW WILL THE RB TOUCHES BE DIVIDED UP?