Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Tyler Higbee

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.

Tuesday, December 16, 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said tight end Tyler Higbee (ankle) will remain sidelined for the team's Week 16 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, per Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News. Higbee was placed on Injured Reserve following Week 11 due to an ankle injury. Across nine games before getting hurt, the 32-year-old had recorded 20 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 30 targets. The Rams operate with one of the deepest tight end rooms in the NFL, as all three of Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson, and Terrance Ferguson have played at least 15 offensive snaps in every game since Higbee went down. Parkinson has stepped up as the leading receiver of the group, recording six touchdowns over his last five games. With Higbee sidelined and Rams wideout Davante Adams (hamstring) potentially out as well, Parkinson could be a viable streaming option at the tight end position for fantasy managers in Week 16.