Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Noah Fant

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.

Friday, October 17, 9:11 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fannt caught all four of his targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 33-31 win over the Steelers. Fant expectedly played his highest snap share of the season so far (68.4%) with top tight ends Mike Gesicki (pectoral) and Tanner Hudson (concussion) both ruled out for this game. The 27-year-old capitalized on a Pittsburgh defense that has struggled against tight ends, finding the end zone for the first time since Week 1 and recording a season-high in receiving yards. The Bengals' offense looked much improved with newly acquired Joe Flacco under center, putting Fant back into streamer consideration next week if he gets another start.