2022 Fantasy Upside
Injuries robbed Darren Waller of six games last season, but he was as reliable as you get in the two seasons prior. After a breakout 2019 season, Waller had a fantastic 2020, finishing with 107 catches on 145 targets for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns. He was on pace for 144 targets last season before he went down – although that’s a little skewed by his ridiculous 19 targets in Week 1 against the Ravens. Still, with the Raiders offense looking to improve after limping to the finish line last year, Waller should be able to put up quality fantasy numbers. He has the trust of Derek Carr, and the addition of DaVante Adams may actually open up the field a bit for him.
2022 Fantasy Downside
While Adams should provide more open and single-coverage opportunities for Waller, he may steal some of the red zone chances. The biggest concern with Waller is durability, though. He’s entering his age-30 season and is coming off knee and back issues. If those issues continue into this season, it’ll be hard for him to get back to fantasy prominence again at an age where players often start to break down.
2022 Bottom Line
Waller’s risks are baked into his price tag in the fourth round of fantasy drafts. He’s going as the TE4 or TE5 – along with George Kittle – this offseason, but he has TE2 upside if he can stay on the field. Adams and new head coach Josh McDaniels should improve the offense enough to provide more total red zone opportunities, so Waller should still be able to find the end zone, even with Adams stealing goal line targets.