Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Jake Ferguson


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Darren Waller News

Darren Waller Reaches Agreement With Panthers on One-Year Deal

Wednesday, August 12, 5:00 PM

Former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and the Carolina Panthers reached an agreement on Wednesday on an undisclosed one-year deal, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Waller, 33, will join a TE room in Carolina that already includes Ja'Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, and Mitchell Evans. The former sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech came out of retirement (after not playing in 2024) to play in nine games last year with the Miami Dolphins, catching 24 of 34 targets for 283 yards and six touchdowns. At 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, Waller has always been a problem for defenses in the red zone, and he has 26 total touchdown catches in his nine years in the NFL. However, injuries were an issue for most of his career, and he missed time in 2025 with hip, groin, and pectoral issues. It's unclear right now how much of a role Waller will have with the Panthers, but his addition cannot be good news for Sanders' fantasy value. At best, Waller will be a touchdown-dependent, TE2 option in two-TE leagues in 2026 if he can actually stay on the field.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
9.8 0.0 0.0 4.2 34.8 0.3

Jake Ferguson News

Jake Ferguson's Red-Zone Role Keeps Him in the TE1 Mix

Saturday, August 8, 12:06 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson was one of Dak Prescott's favorite options near the goal line last season, and that still gives him a path to TE1 value. Ferguson caught a career-high 82 passes for 600 yards and eight touchdowns on 102 targets, finishing TE7 in half-PPR. He also drew 23 red-zone targets, catching 14 of them for seven scores. The problem is that Dallas has plenty of mouths to feed. CeeDee Lamb is healthy, George Pickens is coming off a huge season, and Ferguson averaged only 7.3 yards per catch in 2025. He is not the kind of tight end who can live on a handful of deep shots if the volume falls. The good news is that his job is secure, and the connection with Prescott has looked sharp again in camp. RotoBaller has Ferguson 129th overall and TE14 in its August 8 half-PPR rankings. That price reflects the risk without burying a player who just finished inside the top eight. Ferguson is better viewed as a borderline TE1 than someone fantasy managers need to chase.


Darren Waller vs. Jake Ferguson

Still trying to decide between Waller and Ferguson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Darren Waller is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Jake Ferguson is projected to score 9.8 points.