Darren Waller is having a down season and has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury since Week 4. He has finished as a TE1 twice in four games, but fantasy managers who drafted him hoping to see him become an integral part of a high-flying offense have been disappointed. There is optimism that the 30-year-old tight end will suit up for the Raiders game against the Saints. So will Darren Waller play in Week 8? Here’s what we currently know.
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Darren Waller (hamstring) is listed as a limited participant in practice
Darren Waller (hamstring) participated in practice in a limited fashion Thursday.
Fantasy Impact
Waller has dealt with a lingering hamstring issue for a few weeks now, and it might just end up being a season-long thing. He has been able to play through it lately, and it seems more likely than not that he will play Sunday. He has been underwhelming overall this year, but there’s still a lot of time for him to turn that around.
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What the Experts are Saying
Waller has been listed as questionable after limited practices all week. In the three games that Waller has played a full-time role this season, he’s been underwhelming as the TE9, TE29, and TE29. He handled a 15.7% with an 83.3% route run rate and 1.14 yards per route run. He averaged only 5.7 targets, 3.3 receptions, and 41.7 receiving yards per game. Waller is a low-end TE1 if he plays. New Orleans is first in DVOA against tight ends, limiting them to the second-lowest catch rate, ninth-lowest yards per reception, and zero touchdowns.
-Derek Brown
Waller’s practice progression would suggest he’s likely to play this week. Moderate severity hamstring strains usually cause only mild (~10%) performance dips, but an early return is associated with relatively high re-injury risk.
-Deepak Chona
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