Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Juwan Johnson

Thursday, September 4, 6:15 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (hip) was officially listed as a non-participant for the second straight day at practice on Thursday, according to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. The Dolphins are bringing Waller along slowly after he was in retirement all of last year, but his absence from practice on Thursday is a bit concerning after head coach Mike McDaniel said on Wednesday that he would return the following day. The 32-year-old veteran is also listed with an actual injury for the first time since coming out of retirement to join the team. All summer, the Dolphins were taking it easy on Waller to get his conditioning up to speed. He will have one more chance on Friday to get back on the practice field before Sunday's Week 1 season opener against the Colts. Even if Waller is active, he'll likely be on a snap count, so he can't realistically be trusted in starting fantasy lineups.

Tuesday, August 5, 5:16 PM

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (groin) was wearing a jersey but wasn't in full pads for Tuesday's training camp practice as he continues to be limited, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. Johnson is dealing with a minor groin injury that he sustained last week in practice, but he might be held out of the team's first preseason game this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers as a precaution. It makes more sense for the Saints to be careful with the 28-year-old with both tight ends Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. While Johnson does have a clear path to TE1 duties for the Saints this year, he should go undrafted in 12-team fantasy leagues with all the uncertainty surrounding who the team's quarterback will be.