Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Brock Bowers

Thursday, December 18, 9:28 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (knee) practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday. This was the second day in a row that Waller logged a limited practice session. The veteran tight end picked up the injury during Monday's explosive performance in which he caught seven passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns. The lingering injury and change in quarterback from Tua Tagovailoa to Quinn Ewers could hinder his fantasy outlook for Week 16, but on the other hand, he should benefit from a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati has allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends in 2025, and it's not particularly close. If Waller plays in Week 16, he'll be a low-end TE1 for fantasy football. Managers should get more info on his availability when the Dolphins publish their final injury report on Friday.

Saturday, December 13, 12:54 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers has been a terrific fantasy football contributor lately. In six weeks since returning from injury, Bowers is averaging 5.7 catches, 65.7 yards, and one touchdown per game, and he ranks as the overall TE2 in half-PPR leagues during that span. He has posted double-digit fantasy points in five of those six contests, and he has found the end zone in each of his last two games. All in all, Bowers has been one of the few bright spots in Las Vegas' otherwise bleak offense. Because of that, we expect that he'll continue to thrive as a strong fantasy option when quarterback Kenny Pickett replaces Geno Smith (back, shoulder) in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bowers should serve as a dependable high-volume target in this Pickett-led offense despite the Eagles allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2025. Bowers has shown that he is matchup-proof and should be started in all leagues, regardless of opponent. That's why he ranks as the overall TE3 in this week's RotoBaller fantasy football rankings.