Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is entering his age-26 season, and I’m still not really sure what to make of him. There have been moments of greatness, but consistency and scoring opportunities have been a significant issue.
The talent isn’t a question, and his best years are still ahead of him, but what can fantasy football managers expect after easily the worst season of his career (58 catches for 744 yards and two scores in 15 games)?
Jaylen Waddle’s Fantasy Outlook
There is no two ways about it. Waddle hasn’t been very good for two consecutive seasons. He entered the league with a big playmaking profile (18.9 yards per catch during his collegiate days at Alabama, finishing one of every 6.2 catches in the end zone), and we saw that potential in 2022, his first season playing alongside Tyreek Hill (75 catches for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns).
That was after an impressive rookie season where he cleared 100 catches and showcased the ability to create space in short order. For two years, we were sure that the Dolphins got a bargain with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft and that he’d be a fantasy lineup lock for years to come.
Production Through Two Seasons (PPR)
- Julio Jones: 16.0 points per game, 17.8% over expectation
- Waddle: 15.3 PPG, 15.9% over expectation
- Mike Evans: 15.2 PPG, 0.4% below expectation
- Tee Higgins: 13.8 PPG, 9.9% over expectation
Yes, that’s good. But after averaging seven touchdown catches per season through his introductory period, he’s found paydirt just six times since (29 games and 187 targets). Waddle was better than WR35 just three times across 15 contests a season ago, and that raw data is even a touch optimistic.
One of those performances came in Week 12 against the Patriots on the heels of being held under 50 receiving yards in eight of nine games (three lead-in games: 89 scrimmage yards) and thus more than likely rotting on your bench for the productive game.
In the past two seasons, his yards per catch and PPR fantasy points per target have declined. As mentioned, he came out of college with take-the-top-off-the-defense potential, so, on the surface, the YAC trend isn’t worrisome because 50-yard bombs that come with 48 air yards don’t carry much YAC potential.
But that hasn’t been the case.
His aDOT is moving in the same direction as his run-after-catch numbers… down. In 2022, his average target came 12.2 yards down the field, a number that tanked to 10.4 in 2023 and dipped again in 2024, falling to 9.8.
As long as Hill is operating as the WR1 in this offense, we know the raw target volume is going to be difficult to count on, and that means the 54.3 air yards per game he averaged a year ago simply isn’t going to cut it if the YAC ability isn’t going to recover.
Of course, there is a moving piece in this profile that he has no control over, and that’s Tua Tagovailoa’s health. The sixth-year quarterback has appeared in more than 13 games just once in his career and is always one play away from an extended absence due to his lengthy history of head injuries.
Here’s a visual representation of Waddle’s target diet with and without QB1 under center over the past two seasons. Notice anything?
His aDOT is 25% higher when Tagovailoa is pulling the trigger, and, despite the higher degree of difficulty that comes with deeper targets, his efficiency (72% catch rate) is also much better (56.7%).
Now, we aren’t talking about a massive sample in the “without” bucket (163 routes and 30 targets). Still, it proves that betting on a Waddle rebound is a parlay. You need him to rediscover his form AND for Tagovailoa to repeat his fully healthy 2023 campaign.
WADDLE WADDLE 🐧
📺: #GBvsMIA on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/AwrcEGB7Ry pic.twitter.com/da57tQp9GM— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2022
That’s what has him a touch below the other receivers who are WR2s on their own team but still in the fantasy starter tier. Players like DeVonta Smith and Jameson Williams have their own battles of inconsistencies, but they don’t require as many things to trend right for them to pay off their ADP.
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George Pickens vs. Waddle is an interesting debate. Pickens is joining a new team as the clear WR2 in an offense that was run off the rails last season due to an injury to QB1. CeeDee Lamb is superior to Hill, giving Pickens less wiggle room volume-wise, but I’d argue that he holds the edge in touchdown equity, and that’s valuable.
Waddle posted a strong 23.4% red-zone usage rate as a rookie, but he’s been held under 15.5% in each of the three seasons since, giving him less access to scores that can help mask an otherwise unproductive afternoon.
Right now, I’d rather have Waddle, but I’m not overextending for either. They are both on the fringe of players I’d be comfortable leaving a draft with penciled in as weekly options.
Dan Fornek’s Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Projection
Waddle was not exempt from Miami’s offensive implosion in 2024. From 2021 to 2023, Waddle had two WR2 finishes and a WR1 finish while never averaging fewer than 14.0 fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he averaged 83.7 receptions, 1,128.3 yards and 6.0 touchdowns per season.
Waddle had career lows in targets (83), receptions (58), receiving yards (744) and receiving touchdowns (2) in 2024. Waddle’s average depth of target (10.0) was in line with his career averages, but his yards before catch per reception (8.8) took a significant hit thanks to the injury to Tua Tagovailoa under center. It also didn’t help that the offense transitioned to short passes to De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith thanks to bad backup quarterback play.
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By all accounts, Waddle has been having an excellent training camp with Tagovailoa back under center. There are reports that Waddle could start to siphon more targets from Tyreek Hill, who has struggled with consistency and his attitude throughout the offseason. Miami also attempted to upgrade the quality of its backup quarterbacks (in case Tagovailoa gets hurt again) with Zach Wilson and rookie Quinn Ewers.
Before 2024, we believed that Waddle’s floor in fantasy was a low-end WR2 with low-end WR1 upside. We now know his floor is far lower after a catastrophic 2024 season. It is fair to assume that Waddle can return to his WR2 production with the improvements made to Miami’s offense. It is a gamble worth taking that could pay off in a big way in 2025.
