Who Should I Start? Philip Rivers or Darren Waller

Sunday, December 21, 12:15 AM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers will be a risky fantasy asset when he lines up with the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 16. The 44-year-old made an improbable return to the field a week ago, leading the team under center in his first action since the 2020 campaign. Rivers and the Colts ultimately lost 18-16 to the Seahawks, although he actually looked pretty decent considering the long layoff. While the box score may have left owners wanting, and the veteran has lost significant zip on his balls, he was accurate and decisive, operating efficiently in the short and intermediate areas. With all that in mind, Rivers' current play style hinders his fantasy upside, relegating him to a low-end desperation play in superflex and 2QB formats. The 22-year NFL vet comes in as RotoBaller's QB30 for his outing with San Francisco.

Sunday, December 21, 9:07 AM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller is coming off his best performance of the season during last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Waller hauled in seven of his eight targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns on Monday evening. He'll now head into a great matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals defense. This unit has allowed over 22.0 PPR fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, placing them at the bottom of the sport. However, Waller faces some uncertainty in this contest as rookie QB Quinn Ewers is set to replace Tua Tagovailoa under center. The change at quarterback figures to change the game plan, but Waller should still be involved as the No. 2 pass-catching option, opposite of Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins might use him as a safety blanket on short routes to avoid having Ewers throw a ton of deep shots. There's enough upside here to keep Waller in the low-end TE1 conversation, given his elite matchup.