Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Theo Johnson

Thursday, December 18, 11:46 AM

Despite having to deal with a new quarterback in Week 16, Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (knee, rest) is expected to maintain a critical role in the team's passing game when they line up with the Cincinnati Bengals at home. The 33-year-old is fresh off his best outing of the campaign, hauling in a season-high seven passes and two more touchdowns, giving him six scores in seven appearances. Unfortunately for Waller, any rapport he'd built up with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won't translate when rookie signal-caller Quinn Ewers takes the field for his first NFL start. With the current state of Miami's offense, there's little reason to believe the veteran's role would shrink, although it's fair to expect diminished production. Favorably, Cincinnati's defense has allowed the most fantasy points per game to TEs (22.66), leaving Waller as a back-end TE1 for the outing.

Monday, December 15, 11:00 PM

Across 14 games this season, New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson has recorded 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns on 72 targets. While the 24-year-old has yet to demonstrate explosive upside, he's been highly consistent. Johnson has recorded exactly three catches in seven of his last eight games and double-digit PPR fantasy points in six out of his last eleven contests. Johnson has also dominated tight end snaps in New York this season, playing 80% or more of the team's offensive snaps in 12 out of 14 weeks. The Giants will host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 before a more favorable matchup in Week 17 in Las Vegas against the Raiders. In fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams, Johnson could be worth targeting as a streaming option off the waiver wire at the tight end position.