Fading the Dolphins' Darren Waller among top NFL player prop expert's best bets for Week 6

Back in the summer -- even before he announced he was coming out of retirement and returning to the NFL -- Darren Waller was communicating with former head coach Jon Gruden.

The theme of those conversations, the former Pro Bowl tight end recalled Thursday, was "Just keep going" and "You know you still got some [gas] left in the tank."

"It feels good," Waller said, "to get that love and respect from people that you've put a lot of time in this thing with." Shortly after his conversations with Gruden, the tight end announced he was returning to the league after a one-year hiatus. The Giants, who had retained his rights, traded him to the Dolphins.

Over the last two weeks, the 33-year-old Waller has flashed the ability that made him a Pro Bowler in 2020. In his first action of the season, against the New York Jets in Week 4, he had three catches for 27 yards and two touchdowns. And then last week, against the Carolina Panthers, he had five more catches for 78 yards and another score. He is the first player in franchise history with three receiving touchdowns through his first two games with the team. 

"He's a dynamic playmaker," said Miami offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who worked with Waller when the two were with the Raiders. "It's awesome to see."

But despite Waller's fast start to his season, SportsLine player prop expert Alex Selesnick does not like Waller's chances of repeating his success on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Selesnick, who is 1,003-799 and up $2,663 on all prop picks since joining CBS Sports in 2021, has made Waller Under 39.5 total receiving yards (-111) against the Chargers one of his four best player prop bets for the NFL's Week 6.

Selesnick notes that Waller is still seeing limited snaps while returning from a preseason hip injury, playing just 15 against the Jets and 32 against the Panthers. While he is not listed on the Week 6 injury report, Waller was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. 

In addition he will be facing a Los Angeles defense that has surrendered just 145 yards to opposing tight ends this season.

"Waller faces a much more difficult matchup this week against a very stingy Chargers pass defense that ranks eighth in EPA allowed per dropback and second in success rate," Selesnick says.

The Los Angeles defense also has a template to follow, if it desires, from last week's Miami game. After Waller burned the Panthers for five catches on five targets in the first half, Carolina started bracketing Waller, who did not see even one target in the second half.

"I can't control the number of opportunities or targets that come my way," he said this week. "It's like, what [do] I do with the ones that do come my way?"