Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Noah Gray

Tuesday, July 1, 12:10 PM

The Miami Dolphins are finalizing a trade with the New York Giants on Tuesday for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, who is coming out of retirement, sources tell NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Waller retired last summer after catching 52 of his 74 targets for 552 yards and just one touchdown in 12 games (11 starts) with the G-Men in 2023. Miami was desperate for an addition at tight end after trading Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins and Giants are also swapping late-round draft picks in the Waller trade. Waller will turn 33 in September and hasn't played more than 12 games since his Pro Bowl season in 2020, but he should automatically become Miami's top pass-catching tight end. The volume alone should make him at least a TE2 target with upside in fantasy, but don't expect him to replicate Smith's numbers from last year in Miami.

Saturday, January 25, 10:05 PM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray is a low-floor desperation play in this Sunday's Conference Championship bout with the Buffalo Bills. Gray had a stretch of four games in the middle of the season when he snagged four touchdowns and nabbed at least four passes per contest. However, he's since caught just eight balls while seeing his snap percentage drop roughly 10-20% per outing. The drop in playing time coincides with the return of wide receiver Marquise Brown, so it makes sense that the 25-year-old has had his work cut some. He'll still be eligible to catch a short-area TD or two, but by and large, is tough to trust from a volume standpoint in a passing attack that hasn't been all that effective this season. Gray can be safely avoided for fantasy purposes, even in a game that should feature a healthy amount of points.