Jaylen

Waddle

Waddle was never likely to give fantasy managers an encore to his 144-yard outing from Week 12, but this can undoubtedly be chalked up as a bust for the young receiver. He has posted worse lines than 53 scoreless yards this season, but his nonexistent role was the bigger concern. Waddle finished a distant fourth on the team in targets and earned a measly nine percent target share. He has caught more than four passes one time since Week 1 and his Week 12 breakout looks like an aberration, not something fantasy players should expect to see a repeat of anytime soon. Waddle remains buried in the WR4 ranks for Week 14 versus the Jets.

We’ve been waiting for a “Waddle Day” all season, and we finally got it. The 25-year-old has topped 60 receiving yards just twice all season and this is the first time he’s done it since Week 1. The Dolphins now have four receivers they really like using in the passing game, which makes it tough to rely on Waddle every week, but he showed that he still has the juice. Waddle was easily able to get open against the Patriots’ cornerbacks, who were in man coverage often, and the Dolphins schemed up routes to get him ample yards after the catch. Waddle is worth having on your roster, but he remains a WR3 with all the competition for catches in Miami.

Waddle has fallen behind both De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith in the pecking order for targets. Smith tied Tyreek Hill with eight targets this week while Achane beat Waddle by one look in the passing game. Waddle is averaging just under three receptions for 34 yards since Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup a month ago. After another dud performance, Waddle is barely clinging to WR4 life heading into Week 12 versus the Patriots.

Two of Waddle’s three grabs came on the team’s opening drive, a possession that led to only the second first-drive touchdown for the Dolphins this season on a Malik Washington 18-yard rush on a jet sweep. Waddle would add just one more catch for two yards the rest of the way while the Dolphins transitioned into game management mode with the Rams struggling to put points on the board. Waddle’s next chance to return viable counting stats comes in Week 11 when the Dolphins play host to the Raiders.

As you can see, there’s a lot going on here. Waddle got hit with -23 receiving yards on the Dolphins’ ill-fated final lateral play. This wonky box score does not even include Waddle getting spiked by Damar Hamlin in the fourth quarter and briefly appearing as if he might have suffered a broken leg on a leg whip. He also had zero targets through three quarters. The real takeaway, of course, is that Waddle is continuing to not produce even following Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 8 return. He has not cleared 50 yards since Week 1. With the Dolphins’ offense not hitting big plays the way it once did, Waddle is beginning to look like a middling WR3 as even Tyreek Hill struggles for targets and big box scores. The Rams are on tap for Week 10.

Waddle did most of his damage in the second half, catching two passes for 35 yards on Miami’s final scoring drive. He also had a drop on a would-be long gain during the series of plays, though it didn’t cost his team in the long run as De’Von Achane found the end zone later in the drive. It was a quiet outing for Waddle, but Miami’s offense topped 20 points for the first time all year. They are back on track after enduring nightmarish quarterback play with Tua Tagovailoa out. Waddle will rank as a low-end WR2 for his Week 9 matchup with the Bills.

It’s a nightmare turn of events for Dolphins fans and fantasy managers alike. Hill was added to the injury report midweek as a limited participant on Thursday. He was then downgraded to a DNP on Friday before drawing the questionable tag. While Hill has pushed through various injuries over the years, this is a situation fantasy managers will need to monitor closely. If he is unable to suit up this week, Jaylen Waddle will serve as Miami’s No. 1 receiver in Tua Tagovailoa’s first game back from injured reserve.

Waddle has been limited in both practices to start the week, but that’s not enough for concern regarding his Week 8 availability. If Waddle can log another practice on Friday, we’d expect him to be good to go against the Cardinals in a game where Tua Tagovailoa is expected to make his return.

Waddle appeared to be shaken up during the Dolphins’ Week 7 game, but he continued to play. It is unclear if he sustained the quad injury during that game, but he now starts the week off limited. With Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) expected to return, Waddle will get a boost for fantasy, but it is worth monitoring if this quad issues turns concerning later in the week.

We knew this would be the case once Miami designated Tua to return from injured reserve a few days ago, but it’s still a sight for eyes. This is Tua’s first session since being placed on injured reserve after another scary brain injury a month ago. Miami has scored 35 points in four games without Tagovailoa under center. They scored more than that in four individual weeks last season. All signs point to Tagovailoa returning in Week 8 versus the Cardinals, tentatively putting Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle back on the fantasy menu.