Player

Darren Waller

TE (retired)

The 100-reception / 1,100-yard double threshold functions as an informal marker for TE1 dominance in a passing offense — it requires both volume (short-area usage) and efficiency (chunk plays). Only six TEs reached it through the 2020 season. Waller achieving it in only his second full campaign as a converted tight end is the most compressed version of that trajectory in the set.

FanIQ Research · May 28, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

Only 6 TEs in NFL history had 100+ receptions AND 1,100+ yards in a season — Waller was the 6th, in 2020.

Milestone

TEs with 100+ receptions AND 1,100+ yards (regular season, through 2020)

Player	Season	Rec	Yds
Tony Gonzalez	2004	102	1,258
Dallas Clark	2009	100	1,106
Zach Ertz	2018	116	1,163
Travis Kelce	2018	103	1,336
Travis Kelce	2020	105	1,416
Darren Waller	2020	107	1,196

Why it matters. The 100-reception / 1,100-yard double threshold functions as an informal marker for TE1 dominance in a passing offense — it requires both volume (short-area usage) and efficiency (chunk plays). Only six TEs reached it through the 2020 season. Waller achieving it in only his second full campaign as a converted tight end is the most compressed version of that trajectory in the set.

Waller's jump from 6 receptions in 2018 to 90 in 2019 is the largest single-year reception spike for any TE who logged real action the prior year.

Anomaly

Largest TE year-over-year reception jumps (prior season ≥5 rec, current season ≥70 rec)

Player	Yr Before	Rec Before	Yr After	Rec After	+Δ
Darren Waller	2018	6	2019	90	+84
Gary Barnidge	2014	13	2015	79	+66
Jermaine Wiggins	2003	8	2004	71	+63
Brandon Myers	2011	16	2012	79	+63
Jordan Cameron	2012	20	2013	80	+60

Why it matters. Breakout seasons are common; a breakout of this magnitude from near-zero baseline action is not. The +84-reception leap is more than a volume shift — it required the Raiders to rebuild their entire passing structure around a player with no track record as a full-time TE. The gap between Waller and the second-largest spike (Barnidge, +66) is wider than the gap between 2nd and 5th place combined.

Back-to-back 1,100+ yard TE seasons: only Gronk, Kelce (multiple runs), Waller (2019-20), and McBride have done it.

Rare

All TE back-to-back 1,100+ yard season pairs (regular season)

Player	Yr 1	Yds 1	Yr 2	Yds 2
Rob Gronkowski	2014	1,124	2015	1,176
Travis Kelce	2018	1,336	2019	1,229
Darren Waller	2019	1,145	2020	1,196
Travis Kelce	2019	1,229	2020	1,416
Travis Kelce	2020	1,416	2021	1,125
Travis Kelce	2021	1,125	2022	1,338
Trey McBride	2024	1,146	2025	1,239

Why it matters. Back-to-back 1,100-yard TE seasons require sustained usage that is structurally rare — most offenses cycle their TE targets down in year two after defenses adjust. That only three players before 2024 achieved it, and that Waller had essentially no prior TE career at the time, makes his inclusion in this set the most improbable entry.

Waller's 27.8% average target share in 2020 ranks 5th-highest ever for a TE with 14+ games — above Kelce's career peak.

Split

Highest single-season avg target share by a TE (min 14 games, all seasons)

Player	Season	Avg Tgt Share	Total Tgts	Games
Mark Andrews	2022	28.7%	113	15
Trey McBride	2024	28.6%	147	16
George Kittle	2019	28.1%	107	14
Trey McBride	2025	27.9%	169	17
Darren Waller	2020	27.8%	145	16
Travis Kelce	2018	26.9%	150	16
George Kittle	2018	26.8%	136	16
Delanie Walker	2015	26.4%	133	15

Why it matters. Target share normalizes for offensive pace and volume — it is how much of the team's available passing work a player commanded. At 27.8%, Waller absorbed more than one-in-four of every Las Vegas pass attempt, a share that surpasses Travis Kelce's personal peak. This was not a garbage-time accumulation season: the Raiders had a below-average offense, which means Waller's share came at the expense of every other skill position rather than riding a high-volume system.

Waller's 2019 shattered the LV franchise single-season TE record — adding 249 yards over the prior mark set by Jared Cook in 2018.

Milestone

Top 5 LV franchise TE single-season receiving totals (regular season)

Player	Season	Rec Yds
Darren Waller	2020	1,196
Darren Waller	2019	1,145
Jared Cook	2018	896
Brandon Myers	2012	806
Zach Miller	2009	805

Why it matters. Franchise TE production records are sticky — Brandon Myers' 2012 mark stood six years until Cook, and Cook's mark lasted just one. Waller didn't inch past the record; he blew past it by 27.8% and then reset his own mark the following year. The gap between Waller's 2020 peak and the third-best franchise TE season (Cook, 896) is larger than Cook's entire margin over fourth place.

Waller was the only 2015 6th-round WR to become a Pro Bowl player — his 4,407 career yards is 52x the next-highest from that cohort.

Comparison

2015 NFL Draft 6th-round WRs — career receiving yards (regular season)

Player	Draft Pos	Career Rec	Career Yds
Darren Waller	Rd 6, #204	374	4,407
Kaelin Clay	Rd 6, #184	6	85
Geremy Davis	Rd 6, #186	5	59
Evan Spencer	Rd 6, #187	0	0

Why it matters. Late-round WR picks who convert positions are among the longest shots in roster management — they must survive the developmental attrition at their original position, earn a position change, and then break through in a new alignment. Waller threading all three needles from pick 204 in round 6, following a drug suspension, is the most extreme version of that arc in the 2015 class. The 52x gap to the rest of the 2015 6th-round WR class quantifies just how far he separated from his draft peers.

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