The Dolphins placed Waller (groin) on injured reserve Friday.
Waller could not get on the practice field in any capacity throughout Week 18 prep, and he'll now move to IR in advance of Sunday's season finale against the Patriots. The veteran tight end thus wraps his comeback campaign, having come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins in 2025, with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns (on 34 targets) across nine regular-season appearances. While Waller's overall production doesn't jump off the page, when healthy he showcased playmaking ability and a capacity to thrive in the red zone that should appeal to multiple offenses across the league. That said, Waller played out 2025 on a one-year, $2 million deal with Miami and now is set to hit free agency, and it remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old tight end will even decide to return for another NFL season. Greg Dulcich will operate as the top pass-catching tight end for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers in Week 18 with Waller unavailable.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Can't practice Thursday
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Waller (groin) did not practice Thursday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller has now missed back-to-back practices to begin preparation for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Patriots, making his chances of suiting up for Week 18 appear murky. The veteran tight end has regularly had his practice reps capped throughout the season, but it may be that he'll need to return as at least a limited participant at Friday's practice for any chance of being cleared to go Sunday. Greg Dulcich and Julian Hill will operate as the Dolphins' top tight ends if Waller is unable to play.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: TEs to Sit
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Waller has struggled in the past two games with Quinn Ewers, with four catches for 40 yards and no touchdowns on eight targets against Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. It will be hard to trust Waller in the majority of leagues in Week 18 at New England, and the Patriots have only allowed one tight end to score a touchdown in their past eight games. I would only use Waller in deeper leagues in this matchup on the road.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Listed as LP on Thursday
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Waller (groin/rest) was deemed to be limited on Thursday's practice estimation, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Waller didn't practice Wednesday, so his designation of limited one day later -- though Miami didn't actually practice Thursday -- is promising. It has to be noted that the Dolphins are indicating both Waller's lingering groin issue and rest as the reasons for his statuses so far this week, and the veteran tight end has consistently had his practice reps managed since returning from a four-game absence Week 13. With that in mind, the expectation should be that he'll be available for Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: DNP to begin week
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Waller (groin/rest) didn't practice Wednesday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller is listed on the practice report as being held out due to both the groin issue and rest, so it sounds like this is a maintenance day for him. Waller has been having his practice reps managed and has regularly been limited in practices, though Wednesday's DNP is a bit out of the norm. Still, there's currently nothing to suggest that the veteran tight end is in danger of missing Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Sleeper TEs
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Things are complicated now for Waller after Tua Tagovailoa was benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. Can we trust Waller even in a dream matchup against the Bengals? He just had a breakout game at the right time in Week 15 at Pittsburgh with seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets. He now gets to face Cincinnati in Week 16, and the Bengals are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. I'll still use Waller as a low-end starter in all leagues. Hopefully, he and Ewers can develop a quick rapport, and 13 tight ends have scored at least 10.7 PPR points against Cincinnati this season.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Set for Week 16
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Waller (rest/knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game versus the Bengals, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller was listed as limited Wednesday and Thursday with rest/knee, but his return to all activity Friday clears him for Week 16 action. He'll be working with a new signal-caller Sunday, as rookie Quinn Ewers is taking over for Tua Tagovailoa. Nevertheless, in his seven appearances this season, Waller has had a knack for finding the end zone, as evidenced by his 20-243-6 line on 26 targets.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Estimated as limited in practice
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Waller (rest/knee) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller logged a 54 percent snap share in Monday's 28-15 loss to the Steelers en route to catching seven of his eight targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. Given that the Dolphins held a walk-through Wednesday, Thursday's injury report should add more relevant context to the tight end's Week 16 status, but so far there's nothing to suggest that he'll miss this weekend's game against the Bengals, which will mark QB Quinn Ewers' first regular-season start.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Pair of TD grabs in loss
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Waller secured seven of eight targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the Dolphins' 28-15 loss to the Steelers on Monday.
The veteran tight end set the pace in receptions and targets on the night for Miami, and he was just a yard behind De'Von Achane for the team lead in receiving yards. Waller also was on the receiving end of both of Tua Tagovailoa's touchdown passes, recording six- and 13-yard scoring grabs in the fourth quarter. Waller has been productive and displayed a knack for the end zone on the rare occasions he's been healthy this season, and he'll head into a highly favorable Week 16 home matchup against the Bengals with a 20-243-6 line on 26 targets across seven games.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: One catch against Jets
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Waller caught one of three targets for 13 yards and added a four-yard carry in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Jets.
Waller was outplayed by Greg Dulcich, who caught all three of his targets for 41 yards. The last time Waller had more than three targets in a game was his second appearance for the Dolphins in Week 5, though Waller has been limited to only four subsequent appearances by a pectoral injury that led to a stint on injured reserve. Up next for Waller and the Dolphins is a Week 15 trip to Pittsburgh.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Sleeper TEs
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Waller returned in Week 13 against New Orleans from a four-game absence with a pectoral injury, and he had two catches for 47 yards on three targets. Prior to getting hurt, Waller had scored at least 9.2 PPR points in three games in a row, with four touchdowns over that span, and I'm hopeful he'll get back on track in Week 14 against the Jets. Four tight ends have scored at least 8.4 PPR points against the Jets in the past three games with David Njoku, Harold Fannin Jr., Hunter Henry, and Kyle Pitts, and I like Waller as a low-end starter in all leagues in this matchup.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Contrarian DFS Play
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Waller was disappointing in his return, but he is still seeing downfield targets and end zone targets. That's the recipe for a big day on low volume. If you choose to go cheap at tight end, he is the most likely cheap tight end to post top-five numbers at the position.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Questionable, still on IR
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Waller (pectoral) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.
Miami designated Waller for return from injured reserve Wednesday, after which he cobbled together three straight limited practices. Per David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday regarding Waller's chances to suit up this weekend that "if there's not a setback, I'm feeling optimistic." The Dolphins will need to activate Waller from IR by Saturday afternoon for him to have a chance to be active for Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Could return this week
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Coach Mike McDaniel noted Friday that Waller (pectoral) is "in play" to return to action Sunday against the Saints, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.
At this stage, McDaniel indicated that he's optimistic about the tight end's Week 13 status but acknowledged that whether the Dolphins elect to activate Waller of IR is dependent on how things go for him in Friday's practice. Waller has logged back-to-back limited sessions since having his 21-day practice window opened.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Limited in return to practice
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Waller (pectoral) has had his 21-day practice window opened and was a limited participant in Wednesday's session, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller is practicing for the first time since suffering a pectoral injury Week 7 versus the Browns and being placed on IR. While it's possible the veteran tight end could gain clearance to retake the field as early as Sunday's contest against the Saints, he may first need to prove an ability to handle full practice reps. Once back in action, Waller will join Jaylen Waddle (foot), Malik Washington and RB De'Von Achane as one of the Dolphins' top options in the passing game. In the event that Waller misses any more time, Greg Dulcich will continue to operate as Miami's top pass-catching tight end.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Expected back this season
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Waller's pectoral injury isn't expected to be season-ending, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and won't return prior to Week 13. The Dolphins believe he will play again in 2025. Julian Hill, Tanner Conner and Greg Dulcich are set to fill in while Waller's sidelined.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Labeled week-to-week
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Waller is considered week-to-week due to a strained pectoral that the Dolphins do not believe will require surgery, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Waller was forced out of Miami's loss to the Browns in Week 7 after playing just 15 offensive snaps without recording a catch, and he now appears to be trending in the wrong direction for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons. With the Dolphins already without Tyreek Hill (torn ACL) for the rest of the season, an absence for any stretch of time on Waller's part will be a significant blow to a passing game that's already struggling. Tight ends Julian Hill and Tanner Conner will benefit from increased workloads Week 8 if Waller can't go, as will wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the No. 3 role behind Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington. Head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Waller isn't expected to be available versus Atlanta or on Thursday Night Football against the Ravens in Week 9, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Won't return Sunday
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Waller (pectoral) won't return to Sunday's game against the Browns.
Prior to his exit, Waller didn't record a catch. In his absence, Julian Hill and Tanner Conner will handle Miami's TE duties versus Cleveland. Waller's next chance to see game action will be next Sunday against the Falcons.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Waller has been great for Fantasy managers so far in the three games he's played thanks to four touchdowns. But what happens if he doesn't score? We almost found out in Week 6 against the Chargers when he finished with two catches for 12 yards on three targets -- with a touchdown. This week, Waller is facing a Browns defense that has limited the production of Mark Andrews (1.4 PPR points), Tucker Kraft (5.9 PPR points), Sam LaPorta (6.9 PPR points) and T.J. Hockenson (9.8 PPR points). None of those tight ends found the end zone, and we'll see if Waller can keep his touchdown streak alive on the road. He's a low-end starter at best in the majority of leagues for Week 7.
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Dolphins' Darren Waller: Limited Wednesday
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Waller (hip/rest) was limited in practice Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Waller continues to have his practice reps capped due to a load management plan, though his gameday workload has now increased in three consecutive weeks. The veteran tight end handled a season-high 69 percent of offensive snaps during Miami's loss to the Chargers in Week 6, securing two of three targets for 12 yards and a touchdown. Waller has scored in all three of his appearances with the Dolphins this season. He'll face a challenge to keep up that streak on the road against the Browns' vaunted defense on Sunday, though if Cleveland's pass rush forces Tua Tagovailoa to rely heavily on short-area passes, it could result in increased target volume for Waller.
