Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Sam LaPorta

Thursday, September 4, 10:52 AM

The Miami Dolphins have listed veteran Darren Waller as their starting tight end on the official depth chart, placing him ahead of Julian Hill and Tanner Conner. Waller briefly retired before last year but returned to the NFL this offseason, landing in Miami via trade from the New York Giants. The Dolphins are counting on Waller to help replace former Pro Bowler Jonnu Smith, who was traded to Pittsburgh in a blockbuster trade. While Waller did not practice on Wednesday due to a hip issue, the team emphasized that he has not suffered any setbacks and remains on a ramp-up schedule. Miami opens the season on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Dolphins are hopeful their new starting tight end will be active in Week 1.

Tuesday, August 19, 1:18 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (undisclosed) returned to training camp practice on Tuesday, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. LaPorta has been held out of practices recently with a minor undisclosed issue, but it was never considered serious. It's unclear if he'll make his debut this preseason in the finale on Saturday against the Houston Texans. The 24-year-old former second-rounder (34th overall) in 2023 out of Iowa put himself on the fantasy map right away in his rookie campaign with an 86-889-10 line in 17 games (14 starts). He took a slight step backwards in his sophomore season with a 60-726-7 line in 16 regular-season starts. LaPorta has plenty of competition in a still stacked Lions offense which will be run by new offensive coordinator John Morton. However, in one of the top offenses in the league, LaPorta should be considered a top-five fantasy TE.