Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Theo Johnson
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Darren Waller News
Wednesday, August 12, 5:00 PM
Former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and the Carolina Panthers reached an agreement on Wednesday on an undisclosed one-year deal, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Waller, 33, will join a TE room in Carolina that already includes Ja'Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, and Mitchell Evans. The former sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech came out of retirement (after not playing in 2024) to play in nine games last year with the Miami Dolphins, catching 24 of 34 targets for 283 yards and six touchdowns. At 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, Waller has always been a problem for defenses in the red zone, and he has 26 total touchdown catches in his nine years in the NFL. However, injuries were an issue for most of his career, and he missed time in 2025 with hip, groin, and pectoral issues. It's unclear right now how much of a role Waller will have with the Panthers, but his addition cannot be good news for Sanders' fantasy value. At best, Waller will be a touchdown-dependent, TE2 option in two-TE leagues in 2026 if he can actually stay on the field.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 17.2 | 0.1 |
Theo Johnson News
Thursday, August 13, 6:33 PM
New York Giants 25-year-old tight end Theo Johnson finished the 2025 season as the TE19, with 528 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets. He had an impressive 11.73 yards per reception and became one of Jaxson Dart's favorite targets. However, the biggest thorn in Johnson's side is the offseason signing of 26-year-old tight end Isaiah Likely, who has been generating a lot of buzz in camp and has been one of Dart's favorite targets thus far. The wide receiver room for the Giants is extremely cloudy, with Malik Nabers (knee) recovering from injury and guys like Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Odell Beckham Jr., rounding out the receiver room. While Johnson proved to be reliable and explosive in 2025 (10th in explosive rating), the target share will take a significant step backwards and Johnson likely won't remain fantasy relevant unless he has a spike in touchdown production. RotoBaller ranks Johnson as the TE39 entering the season, which makes him a dynasty stash at best.
Darren Waller vs. Theo Johnson
Still trying to decide between Waller and Johnson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Darren Waller is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Theo Johnson is projected to score 4.1 points.
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