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The New York Giants made the playoffs last season and added players like Darren Waller in the offseason so that they could go further than the divisional round they went last time. However, as some of us are fond of observing: fan proposes, football disposes.
Injuries are a common factor for all teams that play in the NFL and the most carefully laid plans can go to waste because of a niggle that a player picks up. As the Giants prepare for an NFC East divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, Darren Waller is among the players battling to get fit. We discuss where the situation stands right now.
Darren Waller's latest injury update
Darren Waller was added to the Friday injury report before gameday and is now questionable for Week 1. He was supposed to be a go-to target for Daniel Jones as they looked to add receiving weapons. For fantasy football managers, he could have been of great value but now the situation looks different.
Even more worryingly for the Giants fans, they also could be without receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who is also doubtful with a knee injury. It might mean the load falls on Saquon Barkley again to add through the running game to pick up yards.
The running back will be one to look out for after his contract negotiations disgruntlement in the offseason. Quarterback Daniel Jones himself will be entrusted to be as mobile as possible when he gets the opportunity.
What happened to Darren Waller?
Darren Waller suffered a hamstring injury that makes him a doubt for the opening week of the 2023 season. He is not definitely ruled out yet but represents a risk for fantasy football managers in Week 1.
Furthermore, he was limited in final practice. Given he is a new addition to the team after joining from the Las Vegas Raiders, even if he is available, his absence from the final practice session does not bode well for his in-game performance should he feature.
We saw what happened to Kadarius Toney for the Chiefs against the Lions in the season opener. Thrown in and expected to share part of the load that goes normally to Travis Kelce, he had a stinker with three game-changing drops.
When will Darren Waller return?
Given he has not been ruled out completely, one can assume that he will be back for Week 2, even if he does not take to the field against the Dallas Cowboys.
However, all of this has to be tempered with past history. He has played 20 games in the last two seasons due to injury. In the 2022 season, he had six starts and played in nine games. He recorded 28 receptions for 388 yards with three touchdowns.
More worryingly for the Giants fans and any fantasy football manager who was looking at drafting him, the injury that kept him out last season was also a hamstring injury. He was injured in Week 5 of last year while playing against the Kansas City Chiefs and was placed on injured reserve.
The New York Giants took a chance on the former Pro Bowler given his record on the field. However, being on the field is the first prerequisite in the NFL and his past two seasons have not quite panned out in that regard.
It is perhaps why the Raiders let Waller go in the first place, even though having clutch tight ends like him would have helped new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo settle. He remains a high-risk, high-reward kind of a guy going forward into this season.
