Darren Waller Injury Update Clears Doubt on Week 1 Fantasy Outlook

Following an injury-riddled 2021 campaign, and some new competition in the offense, for the first time in three years some doubt crept in the mind of fantasy managers looking to draft tight end Darren Waller.

The doubt was only heightened by Waller's preseason issues with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, the latest news around Waller's hamstring clears any doubt for his Week 1 fantasy outlook against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Darren Waller Injury Update

Waller was officially cleared to play in Week 1, per a report that surfaced on Tuesday night.

He immediately steps into his starting role, and more importantly, an opportunity to finish as TE1 after Week 1 is all said and done. At the very least, it's safe to assume he'll put up top-12 numbers.

Darren Waller Fantasy Outlook

The Chargers are already an intriguing matchup, considering they allowed the second-most PPR points to opposing tight ends last year. Yes, they added Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson to improve the entire depth of the defense. Jackson doesn't look like he'll be able to suit up in Week 1, though.

Waller was up to his usual ways last year, as long as he was on the field and healthy. That was the biggest issue. From Weeks 1-11 (his healthiest stretch), Waller put up TE3 numbers in PPR leagues. He then played only one of the team's remaining six games.

When Waller was on the field, he averaged 8.45 targets for 60.5 receiving yards per game. He also ranked second on the team with 13 red zone targets, behind only Hunter Renfrow (23), who suited up in all 17.

Yes, the addition of Davante Adams crowds up the opportunity for targets. But Waller is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in football, and for good reason, finishing at least as TE3 or better in his two previous fully healthy campaigns.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.