The Miami Dolphins will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Jaylen Waddle.
Is Jaylen Waddle Playing in Week 8?
Jaylen Waddle was batting a new quad injury and was a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately, the Miami Dolphins’ WR2 returned for a full Friday practice and was removed from the club’s injury report.
Waddle struggled along with the rest of Miami’s offense while QB Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined by a concussion. The former first-round pick didn’t eclipse 50 receiving yards or finish better than WR45 with any of Tua’s replacements under center.
That should change as soon as this week. Not only is Tagovailoa poised to return, but Arizona is an appetizing defensive opponent. The Cardinals rank 30th in EPA against the pass and allow the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts.
We’ll continue to monitor the Dolphins’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Jaylen Waddle in Week 8?
Positive vibes only.
I could tell you that Waddle’s last 50-yard game came in Week 1 or that his air-yard count hasn’t exceeded 34 yards in four of his past five, but this is a game we all love, and it’s much more fun when you leave an article with some hope, right?
Waddle’s last 17 games with his QB1 making the start:
- 118 targets
- 83 catches
- 1,195 yards
- Four touchdowns
Assuming that Tagovailoa gets through the week and enters the weekend as the projected starter, Waddle will rank as a starter in all formats for me, ahead of Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jaylen Waddle’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Waddle is projected to score 15 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.5 receptions for 73.2 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Jaylen Waddle’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
Dolphins vs. Cardinals Insights
Arizona Cardinals
Team: Sunday will mark the final game of a four-game run that saw Arizona play in a different city in four straight weeks (they return home in Weeks 9-10 before going on bye in Week 11).
QB: Kyler Murray entered October without a touchdown run longer than 22 yards in his career – he had a 50-yarder in Week 5 against the 49ers and added a 44-yarder to his resume on Monday night against the Chargers.
Offense: James Conner was either handed the ball or targeted on 12 of Arizona’s first 25 plays from scrimmage on Monday night against the Chargers.
Defense: No team in the NFL forces three-and-outs at a lower rate than the Cardinals this season.
Fantasy: Conner has reached 100 scrimmage yards in three of his past four games and has at least 19 touches in five of seven. The usage is great, but it also comes with a warning – the next time Conner goes through an NFL season without missing multiple games will be his first.
Betting: The Cardinals are just 2-6 ATS in their past eight games played on short rest.
Miami Dolphins
Team: By EPA, the Dolphins have the fourth worst special teams in the NFL through seven weeks (on the bright side, the bottom five is loaded with viable teams: Bills, Jets, Ravens, and 49ers).
QB: Tua Tagovailoa might return this week, and that provides hope. However, let’s not forget that he has had multiple touchdown passes in just one of his past eight games (playoffs included).
Offense: Remember when the Dolphins scored 70 points in Week 3 last season against the Broncos? They’ve put 70 points on the board this season.
Defense: Just 2% of passes against the Dolphins have resulted in a touchdown, the lowest rate in the league.
Fantasy: In Tyreek Hill’s last 17 games with at least eight targets from Tagovailoa:
- 199 targets
- 132 catches
- 1,853 yards
- 13 touchdowns
Betting: The Dolphins are 0-3 ATS at home this season – they haven’t had a losing ATS season in front of their home fans since the 2015 team led by Ryan Tannehill and Lamar Miller.
