Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Terrance Ferguson

Wednesday, July 16, 2:58 PM

Miami Dolphins new tight end Darren Waller signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the organization this week. The veteran can earn an additional $3 million in incentives. Waller came out of retirement this offseason after sitting out the 2024 campaign and was dealt to the Dolphins from the New York Giants as part of a late-round NFL Draft pick swap. With Jonnu Smith now in Pittsburgh, Waller won't face much competition from Julian Hill, Pharaoh Brown, or Tanner Conner to secure the clear TE1 role in Miami. Although Waller's last season of at least 60 catches or 700 yards came in 2020, he could enter the fantasy football TE1 radar based on the usage Smith received a season ago. For now, he should be viewed as a mid-range TE2 option, but the former Pro Bowler has at least some intriguing upside as a potential go-to red zone target for Tua Tagovailoa.

Tuesday, July 15, 3:50 PM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson was selected by the team with the No. 46 overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oregon. It was rumored that the Rams were interested in trading up for Brock Bowers in 2024 and one of Colston Loveland or Tyler Warren in 2025, so Sean McVay and company have been eyeing an impact tight end, which makes Ferguson intriguing right away for fantasy football purposes. While Tyler Higbee remains in Los Angeles, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic believes Ferguson could be a breakout player if the offense utilizes more 12-personnel (two tight ends) this season. "While McVay's scheme was still largely run through 11 personnel (82 percent of the Rams' offensive plays in 2024), he also deployed 12 personnel on 15.5 percent of offensive plays and hit that average or higher between Weeks 15 and 18." Rodrigue wrote. "The Rams ran 12 personnel on an average of just 5 percent of offensive plays in 2023. Veteran tight end Tyler Higbee's return from injury across that period gave McVay two healthy starting-caliber tight ends. He has reiterated his hope for his offense to be more multiple." With the Rams lacking a quality wide receiver behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, it would not be surprising to see Ferguson on the field often in his rookie season. That said, it usually takes tight ends some time to develop, and he'll have plenty of target competition in Year 1. He's not worth drafting in traditional fantasy setups, but he is worth monitoring as a potential later-season waiver wire pickup.