Fantasy Football News Roundup: Waller Joins Panthers, Tagovailoa Gets Start and More

It's time to do another NFL news recap, going over several things that have happened over the past couple days.

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Waller Joining Panthers

Tight end Darren Waller is joining the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal. 

Waller is 33 years old, and will turn 34 in a couple weeks. He's been in the NFL for nine years, dating back to 2015. Remember, he didn't play in 2017, and he was out for 2024 after retiring.

Waller played in nine games for Miami last year. He had 283 yards and six touchdowns across 24 receptions and 34 targets.

He's clearly not the player he was early in his career, but Waller can still contribute. He will be battling Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans among other tight ends in Carolina.

Carolina's pass-catching group is a little thin with rookie Chris Brazzell II out for the season already. The Panthers have Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, but not many other proven wideouts or tight ends.

That could mean that Waller carves out a decent role for Carolina. I doubt he gets drafted outside really deep fantasy leagues, but he'll be a tight end to keep tabs on, and add after bigger performances, or going into favorable matchups.

The move isn't a huge boost for Carolina, but it does help a little bit at least. We'll see if Waller can emerge as the team's go-to tight end, and be a consistent option in the passing game for quarterback Bryce Young.

The signing definitely lowers the fantasy values for all the tight ends on the roster. It doesn't impact McMillan much, but it could mean a bit lower value for Legette and Coker, although it's nothing too drastic.

Tua Leading Falcons' QB Battle?

Tua Tagovailoa is getting the start in the team's first preseason game, so he could be leading the team's quarterback competition. The team has yet to announce a starter, and might not for a couple weeks yet.

He's battling Michael Penix Jr. for the top QB spot. Penix has been viewed as the leader by most people, but is coming back from an injury, and recently said that he can do “anything but take a hit.” That's a concerning thing for a QB, and it might mean that Tagovailoa opens the season as the team's starting quarterback.

We'll keep tabs on things and let you know the fantasy football fallout whenever the team announces a quarterback. A sneak peek into that article is that whoever starts at quarterback doesn't really impact much else for the team's other offensive playmakers. 

Neither Tagovailoa or Penix move the needle much, and both are viewed as below-average quarterbacks, both in the real world and for fantasy football. It'll still be news whenever a starting QB is named, so be looking for that news and a story from us when it's announced.

Watson, Sanders in Tight QB Battle

Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are still battling for the Browns' starting QB spot.

Both quarterbacks are going to start one of the first two preseason games, and after that, we might get an announcement on who the week 1 regular season starter might be.

Watson is getting the first crack at starting, so I wonder if he has a slight edge over Sanders. Both are expected to play a half of the preseason game, so we'll see if one of them can separate themself in the QB battle.

Again, we will cover things from a fantasy football perspective whenever a starter is named, but the QB who wins the starting job likely doesn't move the needle too much for every other offensive playmaker.

Check back for that article when a starting QB in Cleveland is named.

Bears' Defender Out 4-6 Months

Chicago safety Coby Bryant is expected to miss 4-6 months of action after having knee surgery about a week ago. He could potentially return late in the season, but it's also possible he misses the entire 2026 campaign.

That'd be a big blow to the Bears' defense, who signed Bryant in free agency this past offseason. He was going to start, and provide some stability at safety alongside rookie Dillon Thieneman, the other projected starter.

So, the Bears' secondary could be a question mark heading into the season, so expect teams to test them early on. Chicago has enough defensive playmakers otherwise, but it's something to keep in mind as the new season begins.

Cam Lewis and Elijah Hicks are the top backups at safety, with Xavier Woods being another option. Whoever starts and plays the most snaps in place of Bryant should be a pretty good IDP option, and that could be for the whole season, so look into utilizing whoever fills that spot.