Waller to return to top form
Ahhh, my final Boom-Bust story – that must mean the regular season is almost here.
My Boom-Bust: Tight Ends story last year was a mixed bag. My Boom was Dallas’ Dalton Schultz, who managed to score just 15 points in the first six weeks last season. He bounced back in the last nine games to average 11.6 points and crack the Top 12 TEs.
My Bust was Miami’s Mike Gesicki, and I nailed that pick. Gesicki averaged 5.8 points last season for a 23rd finish among TEs.
Minnesota’s Irv Smith Jr. was my Sleeper. He has an early season injury and the Vikings traded for T.J. Hockenson. Smith Jr. hardly played after he returned from injury, and Hockenson was the No. 2 TE last season.
Onto this season’s Boom-Bust: Tight Ends!
Boom
Darren Waller, NY Giants
Waller has proven to be a Top 3 fantasy TE twice in his career (2019-20), and he may have landed in the right spot this season.
Preseason practices got to the point where the Giants had to sit Waller so QB Daniel Jones would throw to the other receivers.
Waller has missed 13 games the last two seasons but has averaged 9.4 and 12.1 points in the last two shortened seasons.
Bust
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
Has there a bigger disappointment in recent seasons than Pitts?
Injuries plagued him last season after securing a top 6 finish in 2021, but the thing that concerns me is he needs volume to reach those lofty goals.
In this two seasons, he has caught 47.5 and 61.9 percent of the passes thrown his way, and one can say his QBs were not good.
Well, Desmond Ridder is his QB to start the season for the Falcons, and Ridder is below average in yards per attempt at 6.2. A good average is 7.0, and add in Atlanta drafted RB Bijan Robinson, who is an above average pass catcher, Pitts may be looking in at the Top 12 TEs for a second straight season.
Sleeper
Tyler Higbee, LA Rams
Higbee could see another resurgence like he had at the end of the 2019 season.
The resurgence falls on the balky hamstring of Cooper Kupp. Higbee could become Matthew Stafford’s top receiving option if Kupp misses significant time after re-injuring his hamstring last week.
Higbee saw 5 or more targets in 6 of 9 games last season after Kupp was injured in Week 10.
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