Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 16 review: Studs and Duds

Raiders TE Darren Waller: Stud

Darren Waller continues to do what he does best, abuse defensive backs, and make his quarterback’s lives much easier. No matter who is under center for the Raiders, Waller delivers with his incredible ability to force mismatches no matter who is covering him.

Against Miami, Waller made several huge plays up the sideline and made Eric Rowe’s life miserable all night long. He averaged more than 22 yards per reception and would have had an even better night had he been targeted in the red zone, but Jon Gruden was more focused on getting the ball to Jason Witten for some strange reason.

This game put Waller over 1,000 yards for the second straight season as he continues to build an incredible resume despite the rocky start to his career. Even this achievement was in jeopardy, as Waller was making a ton of catches, but not putting up much yardage, but all of that flipped with the 200-yard day against the New York Jets.

Waller has surpassed his 2019 reception total and needs just 66 yards to surpass his yardage total, which he should be in a position to do against the Denver Broncos in Week 17. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl this year, and it should be the first of many for a player who is still entering his prime as one of the best tight ends in the NFL.