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Darren Waller Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

TE Darren Waller has told the Giants that he will retire, according to both NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Jordan Ranaan. This confirms the news we passed along a little less than a week ago. It sets up Daniel Bellinger as the likeliest season-opening starter at TE, with rookie Theo Johnson competing for time. Neither makes for an exciting 2024 fantasy football option, though you could take a shot on either low in TE3 range of your best ball draft.

ESPN's Jordan Ranaan reports that Giants TE Darren Waller is expected to announce next week whether he'll play this season -- and that "people in and around the team expect that he's going to retire." The team has a two-day mandatory minicamp starting on June 11. Waller's expected to deliver his decision ahead of that.

The Giants selected Penn State TE Theo Johnson in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. A converted WR, Johnson spent four years with the Nittany Lions – two as a full-time starter. Career-best numbers surfaced as a senior, but he wasn’t a major performer (34-341-7). He accounted for 13.8% of the team’s catches, 12.2% of the receiving yards, and 20.3% of the receiving TDs. He managed just 1.26 yards per route run -- down from the 1.58 figure he tallied as a junior. The real promise here lies in Johnson’s athletic gifts, which helped him to play all over the formation (47.9% inline, 38.8% slot, 9.8% wide). At 6’6, 259 pounds, he’s simply a rare athlete. Look no further than his Combine performance, which included a 4.57 forty, a 39.5-inch vertical, a 125-inch broad jump, and a 4.19 shuttle. Altogether, Johnson posted a historic 9.99 Relative Athletic Score. Now, his game needs refinement – most notably in his route running. Johnson also found himself in two off-field incidents that led to misdemeanors. He joins a Giants team that’s still waiting to hear whether TE Darren Waller will continue his football career. If not, TE Daniel Bellinger would stand as Johnson’s top competition for snaps. That’d give the rookie an outside shot at 2024 fantasy value – although he’s more of a dynasty bench stash.

Giants TE Darren Waller told the New York Post that he's "still undecided" whether he'll continue playing in 2024. He'll turn 32 in September and has dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout his career, including a lingering hamstring issue last year. Waller is set to make $10.5 million this season and count $14 million against the salary cap, but the Giants have no intention of cutting him, according to the New York Post. We'll keep an eye on this situation, but Waller obviously carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts until he makes a decision on his football future. We've moved him down the fantasy football TE rankings for now.

Giants QB Tyrod Taylor will start this weekend's game vs. the Rams, HC Brian Daboll said. Taylor played reasonably well in relief of QB Tommy DeVito in Philadelphia on Monday, throwing for 133 yards, one TD, and one INT in the second half. He completed 64% of his passes at 7.4 yards per attempt with two TDs and 0 INTs in starts against the Bills and Commanders earlier this season. Taylor is just a low-end QB2 for Week 17, but he should bring more stability to the offense than DeVito.

Giants TE Darren Waller (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Saints. He was just designated to return from IR on Thursday and got in two limited practice this week. We’d try not to use Waller in fantasy lineups in his first action since Week 8.

The Giants activated TE Darren Waller (hamstring) from IR, setting him up to play vs. the Saints on Sunday. Waller has been out since Week 8 and got in just two limited practices this week. We'd be surprised if he played a full slate of snaps against New Orleans tomorrow. See where Waller sits in the Week 15 TE Rankings.

Giants TE Darren Waller (hamstring) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Saints. He said Friday that he expects to play, but it’s tough to imagine Waller getting a full slate of snaps in his first action since Week 8. Waller would be a risky fantasy start.

Giants TE Darren Waller (hamstring) has been designated to return from IR. He said last week that he was hoping to return for this Sunday's game vs. the Saints. We'll keep an eye on Waller's progress over the next few days, but he'd be tough to trust in Week 15 fantasy lineups coming off a multi-week hamstring injury.

Giants TE Darren Waller (hamstring) told reporters Wednesday that he's hoping to return for Week 15 vs. the Saints. Waller said that he’s been running routes and that his hamstring is feeling good, per The Athletic's Dan Duggan. We'll track Waller's practice participation next week, but he'd be a risky fantasy start in his first game back from a multi-week hamstring injury. Waller would get positive matchups in Weeks 16 and 17 vs. the Eagles and Rams, so he still has a chance to help fantasy teams this season.

Giants HC Brian Daboll said Tuesday that he doesn't expect to get TE Darren Waller (hamstring) back for Monday night's game vs. the Packers. Waller is eligible to come off IR this week but either isn't ready or just doesn't want to push it in a lost season. It's not a lock that Waller plays again this year. We'll keep you updated on his status.

The Giants placed TE Darren Waller on IR with his latest hamstring injury. He was already ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the Raiders and will now also miss the next three games vs. the Cowboys, Commanders, and Patriots. The Giants then have a Week 13 bye, so Week 14 is the earliest we'll see Waller again. He's droppable in fantasy leagues without deep benches or IR spots. Daniel Bellinger will take over as New York's lead TE with Waller out. He averaged 2.5 catches, 22 yards, and 0.2 TDs across 12 games as a rookie last year.

Giants HC Brian Daboll said Thursday that TE Darren Waller (hamstring) won't play vs. the Raiders this weekend and might require a trip to IR. That'd knock him out for four total games. It's not a big surprise after Waller admitted that he'll likely miss multiple weeks with his latest hamstring injury. We'd try to keep him stashed on fantasy benches considering the sorry state of the TE position, but Waller might need to be dropped in shallow-bench leagues. His absence leaves Daniel Bellinger as New York's top TE. He averaged 2.5 catches, 22 yards, and 0.2 TDs across 12 games as a rookie last year. Bellinger is an emergency-only fantasy option.

Giants TE Darren Waller admitted Wednesday that he might "potentially" miss weeks with his latest hamstring injury, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan. “It may take a little bit," Waller added. It's not a surprise considering his lengthy history of hamstring trouble. We can safely assume that Waller won't play vs. the Raiders on Sunday. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 10. It's worth noting that the Giants have a Week 13 bye.

Giants HC Brian Daboll said TE Darren Waller (hamstring) won't practice on Wednesday. Daboll didn't rule Waller out for this weekend's game vs. the Raiders, but we'd be surprised if he played considering his history of hamstring injuries.

RB Saquon Barkley essentially served as the Giants’ entire offense in Week 8 vs. the Jets, totaling 36 carries for 128 rushing yards with 3 catches. The team had to pivot early on after starting QB Tyrod Taylor (ribs) and TE Darren Waller (hamstring) left in the second quarter due to injury and settled on pounding the rock all the way through OT. It’s difficult to draw any meaningful fantasy-based conclusions from this game due to the dire circumstances. Keep an eye on the practice reports this coming week to see who’ll be available to suit up vs. the Raiders in Week 9.

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