Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Colston Loveland

Friday, January 2, 12:55 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (groin) will be placed on Injured Reserve on Friday, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. Waller will miss the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday versus the division-rival New England Patriots. The 33-year-old veteran came out of retirement to play for the Dolphins in 2025 and will finish with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns in only nine games played. Waller got a late start to the season as he worked his way into playing shape and also missed time with a hamstring injury. He was not the same player he was earlier in his career with the Raiders, but Waller still had plenty of red-zone prowess in his return this year. It remains to be seen if he'll attempt to return in 2026 with Miami or another organization. Greg Dulcich should be the Dolphins' top pass-catching TE in Week 18.

Tuesday, January 27, 2:36 PM

The Athletic's Dan Wiederer writes that it's not hard to envision Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland becoming an "even more complete weapon" and a "major force" in the offense in his second season in 2026. "He's going to be a weapon for a long time," head coach Ben Johnson said. The 21-year-old Loveland, who was taken 10th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Michigan, is overflowing with talent. But what makes him even more intriguing for the long term is that he's united with quarterback Caleb Williams and Johnson, one of the smartest play-callers in the league. Williams continues to point out how Loveland is a very friendly target because of his size, catch radius, fluidity, and ability to separate. Loveland got off to a slow start in his first year in the NFL, but he came on strong at the end of the year and finished as the TE12 in half-PPR scoring with a 58-713-6 slash line in 16 regular-season games. Going into Year 2 in 2026, Loveland will have high-end TE1 upside for fantasy managers.