Darren Waller · Mason Taylor · 2026 week 8

Darren Waller or Mason Taylor?

Wondering who you should start this week — Darren Waller or Mason Taylor? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Mason Taylor — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.3 points. The matchup leans Mason Taylor (LV allow the 4th-most TE points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Darren Waller	@ GB	7.6	31st · tough	9.6	33	healthy
Mason Taylor START	vs LV	7.9	4th · soft	12.6	–	healthy

TEs vs GB recently: Colston Loveland 1.9 pts (W5) · Brevyn Spann-Ford 3.5 pts (W6) · Sam LaPorta 1.8 pts (W7).

TEs vs LV recently: Hunter Henry 10.4 pts (W5) · Dalton Kincaid 3.8 pts (W6) · Davis Allen 14 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

Projections are 0.3 apart — too close to call on projection alone.
Darren Waller has the higher floor (2.1) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Mason Taylor has the higher ceiling (17.3) — the play if you need points.
Mason Taylor is boom-or-bust — about 12% more volatile week to week than a typical TE projected here — wider range in both directions.
Darren Waller faces GB, 31st most generous to TEs.
Mason Taylor faces LV, 4th most generous to TEs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Darren Waller carries the higher trade value — 33 against 0. In a one-for-one, the side receiving Darren Waller gets the most.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

Darren Waller or Dalton Schultz?Darren Waller or Terrance Ferguson?Darren Waller or Mike Gesicki?Mason Taylor or Gunnar Helm?Mason Taylor or Noah Fant?Mason Taylor or Darnell Washington?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.