The New York Giants had a nightmare scenario in Week 1 in a 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. It doesn’t get much worse than that, so the only way to go is up for the G-Men. TE Darren Waller was brought in to be the top receiving option for QB Daniel Jones. Waller is dealing with injuries so far in his Giants tenure but should be good for Week 2 vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Let’s take a look at Waller’s outlook for fantasy football.
Fantasy Football analysis: Giants TE Darren Waller
The good news is Waller was tied for the lead in targets in Week 1 with five. The bad news is he only played 38 offensive snaps, which was six less than backup TE Daniel Bellinger. This was likely for blocking reasons. Waller caught three passes for 36 yards.
Start or sit in Week 2 PPR leagues?
Sure. You’re not going to feel great starting Waller but you kind of have to this early in the season. He’s dealing with an injury but is expected to play. The Cardinals are an easier matchup than the Cowboys defense. The snap count isn’t encouraging but when Waller is on the field, Jones should be looking for him. All it takes is more daylight and Waller should get to 5-6 catches pretty easy, so in PPR that’s what we’re looking for.
Start or sit in Week 2 standard leagues?
Maybe. In standard, things get tricky. Again, not being on the field for 45-50 offensive snaps doesn’t instill confidence. Waller should be looked at in the red zone and you’d expect the Giants to have more snaps in those situations in Week 2. If that’s the case, Waller getting to 4-5 catches for 50 yards and a TD feels like a safe barometer. That gets us there in standard.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Darren Waller
DKN NFL Editor Chet Gresham is very high on Waller, ranking him as the TE4 this week. Temper expectations but know that Waller has a high floor and ceiling for this matchup. Again, if you have Waller, you’re playing him this week.
