Analyze Darren Waller's matchup for week 11
Darren Waller remains on Injured Reserve and will not suit up for the Dolphins’ international matchup with Washington, rendering him an automatic bench for Week 11 fantasy lineups.
The Dolphins travel to Madrid to face a middling Commanders defense that has allowed the 14th-most TE fantasy points this year, but Miami will do so without Waller, who is still recovering from the injury that landed him on IR after Week 6. In his absence, Julian Hill and Greg Dulcich will split the tight-end snaps, though neither commands the target share or red-zone pedigree Waller displayed during his brief three-touchdown surge in October. Washington’s linebackers and safeties have been beatable between the 20s, yet without Waller’s 6'6" frame and contested-catch skill, Miami loses a key matchup piece that McDaniel had begun featuring inside the 10-yard line.
Waller’s last three healthy games (Weeks 4-6) produced five total touchdowns on only 10 receptions, hinting at a red-zone role that was expanding before a hamstring issue sent him to IR; he has not practiced in any capacity since early November.
From a usage standpoint, Waller’s early-season snap share (73%) and per-route target rate (22%) were trending up, and Tua had posted a 126.3 passer rating when looking his way inside the 20. That efficiency is now moot, because players on IR cannot return for at least four more weeks, meaning the earliest he could realistically play is Week 16—and only if Miami keeps playoff hopes alive and clears him medically. For fantasy managers, the priority is shifting to replacement value: Hill has run more routes than Dulcich in each of the last two games, but Dulcich has seen the lone end-zone look, making the position a dart-throw stream rather than a reliable weekly starter. Scarcity at tight end often tempts stashing, yet with byes dwindling and Waller’s re-integration timetable still foggy, carrying him through Thanksgiving is a luxury most rosters cannot afford. Monitor practice reports after Week 13; if he begins limited sessions, a speculative add for championship week becomes palatable, but until then leave him on IR or the waiver wire.