After his return from retirement and trade to the Dolphins, tight end Darren Waller is seeing an ADP spike!
After trading away 2024’s fantasy football TE4 in Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it left a void at the position. In a surprise move, the Dolphins traded for the then retired Darren Waller.
With plenty of trade buzz surfacing for players such as Cole Kmet, Michael Mayer, Isaiah Likely, and many more it came as a sudden surprise when Waller was acquired from the New York Giants. Since 2020, Darren Waller has seen a significant dive in production. In 2020, Waller was the TE2 in fantasy points per game with 17.4. Prior to retiring after the 2023 season, Waller only recorded 9.4 fantasy points per game.
On Underdog, Waller has surged from being wholly unranked to the late 16th round for a cumulative rise of 25 spots in the last week. There is little harm in adding Waller as a 3rd tight end in best ball builds as he goes late enough in drafts to where there still lies uncertainty for many surrounding him at cost. Drafters should have low expectations for Waller as he should only be a small part of a portfolio for those who draft in bulk.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
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Ravens GM Eric DeCosta is uncertain about Mark Andrews’s future with the organization, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
In the public eye, Andrews’s future with the team has been questionable for quite some time. His untimely drop in the Divisional Round of this year’s playoffs and the steady emergence of young tight end Isaiah Likely begs questions about his future. DeCosta spoke on this matter with Baltimore reporters at a recent press conference.
“I never know what’s going to happen,” DeCosta said. “And I would never want to say this or that. But I can tell you this: Mark Andrews is a warrior. He’s played his butt off for us.”
Though this quote isn’t overly negative, in this business, general managers and coaches alike have every reason to speak highly of their players to the press. Any deviation or ounce of doubt turns heads. Andrews turns 30 at the start of the 2025 NFL season and is entering the final year of his current contract. The three-time Pro Bowler had a slow start to his 2024 regular season but finished the campaign with 11 touchdowns and was 3rd on his team in receiving yards. Still a quality player with some gas left in the tank, Andrews will likely find a starting role if traded.
Author: Trey Kroll
With Zay Flowers out, the Ravens will need some of their deeper options to step up.
Adam Schefter reports that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has ruled out Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers for Saturday’s playoff matchup versus the Steelers. Flowers’ absence will leave the Ravens without one of their top weapons.
While this isn’t welcome news, there was an element of this being a slow drip towards Zay Flowers being declared out. Earlier in the week there were rumblings that it was a long shot for Flowers to play in the opening round.
Naturally, the Ravens offense will run primarily through Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Mark Andrews. In a playoff game with a familiar division foe in the Pittsburgh Steelers, expect one of Rashod Bateman or Isaiah Likely to have an elevated role. Rashod Bateman provided 2.44 fantasy points per target in 2024 which was good for 4th overall paired with a 125.0 QB rating per target (No. 6). At tight end, Likely was 8th in total touchdowns with 6 and his 13 red zone targets ranked No.10. Expect the Ravens to soar to new heights with Bateman and Likely.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, coachretzlaff1
Isaiah Likely offers versatility to the Ravens offense.
Ravens 3rd year tight end Isaiah Likely has shown flashes of being a dynamic playmaker since his arrival in Baltimore in 2022. Whenever starting TE Mark Andrews has missed time, Likely has shown the abilities that made him a 4th round pick by the Ravens. Going into year 3, ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes the talented TE could be the second target at receiver behind Zay Flowers. This quote by Likely alluding to his usage adds fuel to the growing flame: “They want me to be able to go everywhere, whether it’s in the backfield, in line, in the slot, out wide or whatever…being that chess piece that can move around.”
The talent is obvious for Isaiah Likely. Whenever Mark Andrews has missed time, Likely has shown he can be a star. This could be shaping up to be like the Patriots dual TE sets of yesteryear. Likely has been a prime target of the “late round TE” strategists in bestball drafts throughout the offseason. His current average draft position of TE22 near the end of the 14th round is set to pay major dividends if this quote about his usage is true. He should be a prime trade target in any form of tight end premium scoring dynasty league.
Isaiah Likely learning receiver positions in year 2 with Todd Monken’s offense.
“It’s being a chess piece, being anywhere ‘Monk’ needs me to be in this offense – whether it’s in the slot, in-line, in the backfield, split out wide by myself,” Likely said. “The more you know, the more you can stay on the field.” Likely is looking to learn as much as he can in Monken’s offense to allow himself to be on the field with Mark Andrews. Likely filled in nicely while Andrews was out due to injury, putting up 25 receptions and 372 receiving yards with 6 touchdowns. Now it’s up to the Ravens to find ways to have Likely and Andrews on the field at the same time when the Ravens are ranked 27th in the NFL with 2 tight end sets.
Likely could be a deep league sleeper in most redraft and dynasty leagues for the upcoming 2024 season. The pre-season and early season to determine if Likely is someone worth stashing if you’re not an Andrews owner. He is a solid red zone threat when on the field and very athletic tight end that may force himself on the field more to compliment Andrews.
