Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Darius Slayton

Saturday, October 11, 6:28 AM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller has been extremely productive since returning from his hip injury two weeks ago, and he'll be a solid starting option in Week 6 against the Chargers. Waller retired and did not play last year, and was sidelined by a hip issue for the first three weeks of 2025. He returned in Week 4 with two touchdowns and 27 yards against the Jets, and he built on that last week by hauling in all five of his targets for 78 yards and a third touchdown. His snap count doubled from 16 in Week 4 to 32 in Week 5, and he was a key contributor even at just a 58% snap share. If that number grows again this week, he should continue to progress and remain one of the focuses of the Dolphins' offense, which is now operating without Tyreek Hill (knee), leaving targets available from Tua Tagovailoa. Tua has looked Waller's way often and had great success, so Waller is the TE8 this week in RotoBaller's rankings and can be a very solid starter in standard-sized leagues.

Wednesday, October 15, 5:21 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring) missed the first practice of the week on Wednesday, according to Dan Salomone of Giants.com. Slayton suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 5 loss to the New Orleans Saints and didn't practice on a short week before missing last Thursday night's upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Another DNP to begin Week 7 preparation is a bad sign, but Slayton still has two more days to get back onto the practice field. If the 28-year-old cannot do so, he'll miss a second straight game this Sunday versus the Denver Broncos on the road. Slayton figures to be one of New York's top pass-catchers the rest of the year now that Malik Nabers (knee) is done for the season, but he needs to get healthy first. If Slayton gets cleared to play on Sunday, he'll be a WR4/flex, at best, against a stingy Denver defense.