Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle missed last week’s game against the New York Jets on the reserve/COVID-19 list. After being selected sixth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Dolphins rookie has performed extremely well in his first year in the NFL. Will Waddle return to the starting lineup against the New Orleans Saints, and what can fantasy football managers expect on Monday Night Football?
Jaylen Waddle’s 2021 production
After a year apart, Waddle has been former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa’s favorite wide receiver. He’s posted 86 receptions for 849 yards and 4 touchdowns on 115 targets through 13 games.
Waddle somewhat broke out over his last five healthy games. Over that span, he recorded 38 receptions for 436 yards and 1 touchdown on 46 targets. He added a rushing TD in that game as well.
The Dolphins rookie wide receiver posted 18 receptions for 227 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 targets over his last two games. He’s in the midst of completely taking over as Miami’s WR1, as he’s Tagovailoa’s prime target at this point.
Will Jaylen Waddle play in Week 16?
Waddle missed last week’s game against the New York Jets after testing positive for COVID. Head coach Brian Flores said that Waddle would return to the lineup this week, though, and he’s been activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Most importantly, Waddle was activated on Monday, meaning he practiced the entire week. He’ll be in game shape for arguably the most important contest of Miami’s season thus far.
How will this affect the Dolphins’ offense?
Waddle will reassume his role as the top receiving option for Miami. He leads the Dolphins in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns while playing in 13 games this season.
Mack Hollins and Isaiah Ford saw an increase in snaps last week, and they’ll likely lose snaps against the Saints. Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker will continue to be the top options after Waddle.
Those three have found success together throughout the season, and Miami could generate the passing volume to support them again this week.
Albert Wilson has been playing around 50% of the snaps, but he was recently placed on the COVID list. This could give a small boost to Ford, but not enough to change his value.
Are fantasy points available vs. New Orleans?
There are plenty of fantasy points available against this New Orleans Saints defense. They feature the best defense in the NFL against the run, allowing a league-low 14.4 fantasy points per game to running backs.
With that said, the Saints are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, sixth-most to wide receivers, and 10th-most to tight ends.
Waddle caught fire before he was forced to miss a week with COVID. Still, e’s had an entire week to practice, and he should return to double-digit targets in this game.
Miami will be forced to rely on their passing game, with New Orleans featuring one of the best run defenses in the NFL. Because of that, Tagovailoa, Waddle, Parker, and Gesicki are all viable options in this contest.