Fantasy Football Week 6 Tight End Start 'Em Sit 'Em: David Njoku vs Darren Waller
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The Tight End position has been one of great value through September. We have found a plethora of sleepers including Jake Tonges, AJ Barner, and Harold Fannin Jr. We have also seen Dalton Kincaid and Jake Ferguson perform above expectation. Darren Waller has even been a fantastic waiver wire pickup. With great value comes great depth and that results in start 'em, sit 'em decisions. Two borderline players are David Njoku and Darren Waller. Let's debate the two.
The Case for David Njoku
Kevin Stefanski has taken what he can of this offense and made it into his best possible art piece. Two of the better players are his dual-tight ends that are Njoku and Fannin Jr.
Despite being in a split at his position, Njoku is the TE18 in Fantasy Football. In Week 5, Njoku had his best week with 6 Receptions, 67 Yards, and 1 Touchdown. He is more touchdown reliant, but he can be a hot hand at times. Remember, Njoku was the TE11 last year. He is never a must-bench.
The current target share of Njoku is 17% on this team. The only player with better is Jerry Jeudy (19%). The Browns have this team very consistent as Njoku has a balanced 19% red zone target rate (4-for-21). When it breaks down, Njoku should be a 4-6 touchdown output player on the season.
The best tidbit of all is that Njoku had a season-high nine targets in the debut of Dillon Gabriel. Perhaps chemistry is built? Gabriel is going to be a simple pass kind of guy. This does favors the tight ends. Joe Flacco is experienced and ran a more abstract playbook. The rookie will not be doing the same. The stock may have great upside with a new quarterback.
Dillon Gabriel to David Njokupic.twitter.com/6kwybxGvfG
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) October 5, 2025
In Week 6, the Browns will play a Steelers team that projects to win rather easily. They also rank just 28th versus tight ends. This is a recipe for pass scripted success.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 6 Ranking: TE11
The Case for Darren Waller
The Dolphins are very glad that they have Waller given the season ending injury of Tyreek Hill. He has filled in to an immediately impactful role as the number two pass-catcher for Tua Tagovailoa.
Waller has missed three games this season and yet he is the TE20 in Fantasy Football. On a per game basis, he would be the TE1.
Despite he huge success, Waller actually has just a 15% target share through two games played. However, this comes with a grain of salt. Waller is still in a ramp-up. He played 28% of team snaps in Week 4 and 58% in Week 5. Expect him to be over 70% going forward. His ceiling is clearly very high.
Darren Waller: The top 3 TE when healthy? pic.twitter.com/kFITMSqHEc
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 7, 2025
Unlike Njoku, Waller does have a tough matchup this week. He will face the Chargers in which they rank 6th best versus tight ends. Within this abstract McDaniel offense, it may not matter. Waller has played 100% of his targets in the slot, unlike most tight ends. He is essentially a very big slot receiver. This matches him up often against Derwin James and Tarheeb Still — two great defenders.
I would expect Waller to still find his usual targets, but with frustration. He still has massive upside given his ability and role. He will likely catch a lower percentage of these targets unless McDaniel has some play designs up his sleeve.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 6 Ranking: TE10
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: David Njoku vs Darren Waller
This is a risk, but I would actually go with Njoku this week. If Gabriel is truly giving him excess work, and it looks that way, Njoku may be a certified top 10 tight end. This is rare, but this week I would take the upside of Njoku over Waller. It may be the only time all season I say this, but it is said.
Start Njoku over Waller in Week 6 for maximum upside.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.