Preparing to play Week 1

Waller said Monday that he's practicing as if he's going to play in Sunday's game against the Bears, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Waller signed with Carolina less than a month ago and has slowly been working his way into game-ready shape. He ran with the first-team offense in practice last week and appears ready to go for the Week 1 opener. The Panthers have a host of quality tight ends, but Waller has the most fantasy appeal of the bunch as a weapon in the red zone and on third downs. He's likely a better best-ball pick than reliable weekly play in redraft fantasy formats.