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Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller was targeted 10 times against the Los Angeles Chargers back in Week 9. He should get plenty more work in Thursday’s matchup between these two teams.
Fantasy Football analysis: Raiders TE Darren Waller
What’s amazing about that Week 9 target count is that it represented a 43.5 share of Derek Carr’s passes. He threw only 23 times versus the Chargers. Obviously, Carr knows who’s his top receiving outlet and despite defenses knowing it as well, Waller has still put up good numbers over the past month. His 17-catch, 200-yard, two-score game stands out like a neon sign, sure, but Waller posted lines of 7-88-1 against the Chiefs in Week 11 and 7-75-0 against the Colts in Week 14.
Waller’s 117 targets and 84 receptions rank inside the top 10 in each category among all NFL pass-catchers. The Chargers haven’t given up many catches or yards to tight ends this season, but they have permitted five TDs to the position in their past six games.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
As if the difficulty of the matchup matters with Waller. He’s a target monster and, as an every-week dependable tight end, a rare bird in fantasy football. He could get even more looks this week with Henry Ruggs III out. Waller costs a season-high $6,900 on DraftKings and is probably worth every penny.