Who Should I Start? Marcedes Lewis or Darren Waller

Thursday, May 29, 2:50 PM

Veteran free-agent tight end Marcedes Lewis wants to play in 2025, and he expects it to be his final NFL season. The 41-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears following five seasons with the Green Bay Packers and 12 campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Originally a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Lewis has tallied 437 receptions for 5,115 yards and 40 touchdowns in 285 career games. He hasn't cracked 400 receiving yards since 2012, but he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. If he signs somewhere for a 20th NFL season, he will not be on the fantasy football radar. Either way, it's easy to root for the veteran who has been remarkably healthy late in his career.

Saturday, October 11, 6:28 AM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller has been extremely productive since returning from his hip injury two weeks ago, and he'll be a solid starting option in Week 6 against the Chargers. Waller retired and did not play last year, and was sidelined by a hip issue for the first three weeks of 2025. He returned in Week 4 with two touchdowns and 27 yards against the Jets, and he built on that last week by hauling in all five of his targets for 78 yards and a third touchdown. His snap count doubled from 16 in Week 4 to 32 in Week 5, and he was a key contributor even at just a 58% snap share. If that number grows again this week, he should continue to progress and remain one of the focuses of the Dolphins' offense, which is now operating without Tyreek Hill (knee), leaving targets available from Tua Tagovailoa. Tua has looked Waller's way often and had great success, so Waller is the TE8 this week in RotoBaller's rankings and can be a very solid starter in standard-sized leagues.