Darren Waller Fantasy Outlook 2025

The Miami Dolphins traded away tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They needed to replace the hole created in their roster. And it didn’t take them long to do just that. Not even 24 hours later, news dropped of another trade out of Miami. The Miami Dolphins traded for tight end Darren Waller, of all players.

Now, because Darren Waller retired while with the New York Giants, his rights were still with the team. With Waller coming out of retirement to make the trade happen (and Waller wants to play for Miami), the details of the trade were as follows:

  • The Miami Dolphins get Darren Waller and a 2027 seventh-round pick
  • The New York Giants received the Dolphins’ 2026 sixth-round pick

Waller turns 33 years old this season and spent his retirement focusing on his rap career. Many speculate that the “lack of success” in his post-NFL endeavors was not as great as the former Raider and Giants tight end expected. This could be the reason that prompted his return to the NFL after just a year off. Or perhaps the Giants were a total dumpster fire in 2024. The idea of continuing to play with them may have sapped the fun out of the game for him. Somewhere in there lies the truth. But the question now for fantasy managers is, does Darren Waller have fantasy value in 2025?

Darren Waller’s Fantasy Outlook in 2025

Darren Waller is no spring chicken, but he isn’t the only older tight end who’s still playing in the NFL. Travis Kelce is now 35 years old with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Washington Commanders also have Zach Ertz under contract for the 2025 season. He will be 34 years old. So the question isn’t about age, but what can Waller still do?

Waller’s last two seasons, one with the Raiders and one with the Giants aren’t anything worth writing about. Waller finished his final season with the Raiders with just 338 yards and three touchdowns. He played in nine games before missing the rest of the season due to injury. His stint with the Giants was only slightly better at 552 yards and one touchdown. In both seasons, Waller averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game. Waller’s season with the Giants allowed him to get a pretty consistent target share. He saw just two games with fewer than five targets for the entire season. Waller even posted a 22.8 fantasy performance against the Washington Commanders. He achieved a 98-yard and a touchdown game on eight targets in Week 7 of the 2023 season.

A year off from football might have done Waller some good. It allowed his body to take a break from the rigors of constant football life. From 2021-2023, Waller missed 19 games over that span. A year off from football would be beneficial. His body has dealt with a significant number of injuries.

One thing that works in Waller’s favor is the situation he finds himself in 2025. The Dolphins finished tied for eighth overall in pass attempts with the New York Giants at 591. The Dolphins’ quarterbacks achieved a near 70% completion rate on the season. They finished 15th overall in passing yards with 3,737. While Tua Tagovailoa played in just 11 games, he still averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and a 72.9% completion rate. Then, Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith was targeted 111 times in 2024. Waller could assume some of that target share. If Tua can stay on the field for the entire season, his number should be higher. The added volume will help achieve a greater total.

Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane are the top pass catchers coming into the new season. Darren Waller should join them once he gets up to speed. The Dolphins’ top two pass catchers at the receiver position are Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. This is heading into the 2025 season. Hill led all pass-catchers with a 20.8% target share in 2024. Waddle finished last season ranking third in target share at 15.6%. Familiarity should allow Waddle to get a chunk of the targets left over from Jonnu Smith’s departure. This situation should still allow a path for Darren Waller to be effective on the field. Jonnu Smith’s 111 targets put him at fourth on the Dolphins with an 18.8% target share.

A full season of Tua Tagovailoa would also help Waller to have a significant target share. Last season, Tua finished with 399 pass attempts over 11 games. If extrapolated over a full 17 games, Tua would attempt 36 passes per game. This puts him firmly inside the top 5 among quarterbacks with a total of 616 pass attempts. The Dolphins continue to be one of the more pass-heavy teams in the NFL. This volume could be what’s needed to get Darren Waller back in the game this season.

Fantasy Wrap Up

In Redraft leagues, you should manage to get Darren Waller for free. He’s now ranked as the TE27, according to Fantasypros. I wouldn’t expect the same production Jonnu Smith achieved to finish as the TE6 for fantasy football last season. However, Waller’s opportunity is there for him to be productive with the Miami Dolphins. Waller is no spring chicken, but he isn’t so old that he can’t play at a high level. The major red flag with Waller is whether he can endure the entire NFL season. His age and injury history are concerns.

At minimum Waller is worth a late round flier (and I mean late) towards the end of your redraft draft. As for dynasty, he’s worth a stash if your dynasty league is allowing you to make pickups during the offseason. I’ve managed to add Darren Waller in one of my dynasty leagues. On my current roster, he’s sitting behind Lions’ Sam LaPorta and Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson. There’s no rush to throw Waller into my lineups. This will only change if he starts to outperform one of the other guys. Waller may not have a high draft price, but it’s always smart to keep your options open. Waller is in a high-volume passing offense. It seems that Tua is willing to get the tight end involved. This will happen if Waller can mesh well with them.

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