Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Mike Gesicki

Tuesday, August 12, 1:19 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller will not join the team for training camp practices this week, according to head coach Mike McDaniel. Waller began camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to conditioning issues after coming out of retirement, and McDaniel isn't ready to throw him iinto the fire during joint practices this week with the Detroit Lions. The 32-year-old veteran will continue to work on his conditioning after not playing at all in 2024, but he's unlikely to come off the PUP list and play in the second preseason game this Saturday against the Lions. Waller had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2019 and 2020 with the Raiders, but it's fair to wonder if he has that kind of production in him at this point in his career. He's worth a late-round flier as a TE2 given the weak nature of the position, but don't expect him to put up the numbers that Jonnu Smith did in Miami in 2024.

Wednesday, August 13, 7:12 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (hamstring) is still working his way back from a hamstring injury at training camp and was working on a rehab field on Wednesday, according to Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. A hamstring injury has kept Gesicki out of practices for the last week, and he also missed the preseason opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles last week. The 29-year-old's hamstring injury isn't believed to be all that serious, but the Bengals could hold him out of their second preseason game on Monday against the Washington Commanders as a precaution. Cincy recently signed Noah Fant for TE depth, but when healthy, Gesicki should be the primary pass-catching tight end for the Bengals. He caught 65 of 83 targets for 665 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games (three starts) a year ago and is ranked as a low-end TE2 in fantasy for the upcoming season.