The Miami Dolphins are struggling in their season opener. The Indianapolis Colts have been all over the Dolphins’ offense. Chasing 20 points at halftime, the Dolphins looked to come out of the gates hot in the second half.
What Happened to Jaylen Waddle?
Unfortunately, the day just keeps getting worse with WR Jaylen Waddle coming up with an injury on their opening drive.
On their opening drive of the third quarter, Tua Tagovailoa threw it short over the middle to Waddle, and after he was tackled, he came up holding his shoulder.
Status alert: Jaylen Waddle (arm) headed to medical tent Sunday.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 7, 2025
He headed to the medical tent to get checked out by the team’s doctors. Waddle had two catches for 10 yards before he headed into the tent to get checked out. Waddle went to the locker room to get his shoulder checked out.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle is headed to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury. pic.twitter.com/2wWN4J1H0U
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 7, 2025
His return is unknown as fans eagerly await an update on their receiver’s status, hoping that he will be healthy to help out this floundering offense. It’s not looking good for today, though, especially with the deficit that they are facing already. The Dolphins look to be staring 0-1 in the face, and are hoping that the news surrounding Waddle won’t compound more misery on a disappointing opening day.
#UPDATE: Waddle returned to the game late in the third quarter.
Fantasy Impact of Waddle’s Injury
The Dolphins’ offense is a complete train wreck. It is no surprise that Mike McDaniel is the favorite to be the first head coach fired. The league has completely figured him out. This once explosive offense is a shell of what it used to be, and McDaniel is completely incapable of adjusting.
Waddle was a candidate to ascend to the WR2 role given all the problems with Tyreek Hill. As it turns out, the answer to fantasy managers’ prayers may end up being Malik Washington. He played well in the preseason and is the presumptive WR2 if Waddle has to miss time. Unless we get positive news on Waddle between now and Tuesday night, Washington will be a popular waiver wire add for fantasy managers this week.
Waddle caught 104 balls as a rookie, but has struggled to look the part of a game breaker ever since. He graded out as WR41 for us in 2024, a season that saw him reach 60 receiving yards just three times and average a career-low 1.56 yards per route run.
