Darren Waller News

According to Adam Schefter, the New York Giants have reportedly acquired tight end Darren Waller on Tuesday. Waller will reportedly head to New York in exchange for the 100th overall pick this year. Expect the 30-year old to see more volume in the Giants' passing game after the veteran saw 4.6 targets per game last season. On 265 pass snaps in 2022, Waller ranked 12th among tight ends with a 72.4 Pro Football Focus offensive rating while producing 28 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns and 1.58 yards per route run.

Even if he can't regain his 2019-20 peak form, Waller should be a huge upgrade for a Giants offense that got less than 600 yards out of all its tight ends combined last season. The 30-year-old Raider had only 388 yards in nine games during an injury-riddled 2022, but he topped 60 yards per game in three straight seasons before that and remains one of the NFL's better athletes at tight end. The relatively light trade compensation can at least partially be explained by Waller's contract, which comes with base salaries of at least $10.5 million for each of the next four seasons, though the Raiders have already paid out most of his guarantees. This is excellent news for QB Daniel Jones and a huge blow to the 2023 fantasy prospects of second-year TE Daniel Bellinger. The Raiders, meanwhile, are set to rely on their wide receivers to carry the passing game after reaching terms with Jakobi Meyers earlier Tuesday.

Waller saw his highest target total since Week 2, though he lacked rapport with Jarrett Stidham to post a disappointing stat line. Waller did manage to account for the Raiders' longest play from scrimmage with a 24-yard reception early in the second quarter -- his seventh gain of 20 or more yards in his last four games. After suffering through an injury-plagued season, Waller will be back in Las Vegas in 2023.

Waller got the offense kickstarted with a 24-yard touchdown reception on the team's opening drive. The athletic tight end could have had his first 100-yard receiving game of the season had he not dropped a tough ball that Jarrett Stidham launched over the secondary late in the game. Nonetheless, it was Waller's best fantasy point output this season, and it came as the result of the coaching staff changing quarterbacks this week. The Georgia Tech product's deep-play ability combined with Stidham's strong arm could lead to more positive results against the Chiefs in Week 18.

In his second outing back after logging eight consecutive DNPs due to a hamstring issue, Waller paced the Raiders in catches and receiving yards while finishing third in targets. The performance was a small bright spot in a passing game that managed just 143 net yards, which was aided by a game-high 34-yard gain that helped set up a successful Daniel Carlson field-goal attempt just before halftime. Waller's outlook for Week 17 doesn't look great, either, with the 49ers' No. 1 ranked defense coming to Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 1.

Seeing his first action since Week 5 after recovering from hamstring issues, the tight end was eased into the lineup and split reps with Foster Moreau, but Waller still made an impact by catching a 25-yard TD from Derek Carr in the second quarter. With the injury further behind him, Waller's volume could grow in Week 16 against a Steelers defense that's been stingy lately against TEs.