Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Adam Thielen

Tuesday, July 1, 12:10 PM

The Miami Dolphins are finalizing a trade with the New York Giants on Tuesday for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, who is coming out of retirement, sources tell NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Waller retired last summer after catching 52 of his 74 targets for 552 yards and just one touchdown in 12 games (11 starts) with the G-Men in 2023. Miami was desperate for an addition at tight end after trading Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins and Giants are also swapping late-round draft picks in the Waller trade. Waller will turn 33 in September and hasn't played more than 12 games since his Pro Bowl season in 2020, but he should automatically become Miami's top pass-catching tight end. The volume alone should make him at least a TE2 target with upside in fantasy, but don't expect him to replicate Smith's numbers from last year in Miami.

Friday, May 2, 12:02 PM

Carolina Panthers veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen said that he talked with his family, and they wanted him to play in 2025. He plans to go through a similar process after this season, which is the final year of his contract. Depending on how the 34-year-old feels and what his family thinks after the 2025 campaign, Thielen could hang up his cleats and retire. He's returning for a third season in Carolina after playing in a career-low 10 games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury. In those 10 games, he caught 48 of his 62 targets for 615 yards and five touchdowns. He should continue to be a trusted weapon for young quarterback Bryce Young out of the slot this year, but the addition of first-round rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan will surely make Thielen harder to trust as a WR3/flex in fantasy based on volume alone like he was in 2023, when he recorded the third 1,000-yard season of his career on 103 targets.