Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Sam LaPorta

Monday, July 28, 6:11 PM

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said on Monday that tight end Darren Waller is in "tremendous shape," but the team isn't allowing that to "trick us into thinking he's in football shape." Waller was "very active" with tight ends coach Jon Embree on Monday, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. The 32-year-old isn't dealing with any type of injury, but the Dolphins placed him on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp after he retired and sat out all of the 2024 campaign. Waller is back now and should serve as the team's top pass-catching TE after they traded Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. There's no guarantee that he'll be anything near the type of receiver he was in his peak seasons with the Raiders, but given the shallow fantasy position of TE, Waller is at least worthy of a TE2 dart throw.

Thursday, July 17, 8:36 AM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta had high praise for first-year offensive coordinator John Morton with the team set to open training camp this weekend. There have been some concerns that the Detroit offense will take a step back now that star play-caller Ben Johnson is the head coach in Chicago, but LaPorta does not share those worries. LaPorta told Jim Rome on Wednesday that Morton is a "brilliant mind" and went on to say, "I think he's gonna call the offense great." It remains to be seen whether Morton changes player roles, usage, and formations in his first year calling the plays, but the Detroit offense is loaded with talented players. Detroit should continue to be a fantasy goldmine for the 2025 season.