Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (knee) suffered a knee injury in Week 15 after playing just 38% of the team's offensive snaps. He was forced to exit the game and wasn't able to return.
In Week 16, he wasn't able to play either. While he hasn't been ruled out for the rest of the season, Miami sits at 7-8, and the chance of shutting him down for the rest of the year is real.
Let's break down an injury update for Waddle and his fantasy football outlook if he's able to return.
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Jaylen Waddle Injury Update
Of course, he didn't end up playing in Week 16, but he was listed as "Doubtful" heading into the game. He wasn't ruled out officially at an early point in the week before the game, so at least there was a miniscule chance he could have played, which is good news heading into Week 17.
Jaylen Waddle #dolphins
Does not appear to be trending towards playing. If he does expect him to be quite limited and not a safe start 👇🏻
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) December 20, 2024
It's only Tuesday, but it seems like he has a good chance of returning for Sunday's contest against the Cleveland Browns. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star's injury was initially feared to be serious, but medical testing indicated that he avoided any major damage.
Jaylen Waddle went down in a lot of pain after he got his leg caught up here. He's being further evaluated. pic.twitter.com/u9Zqqmm9IN
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) December 15, 2024
He was lucky that the opposing team's defender didn't hit a higher part of his leg. If that had happened, and his foot were planted in the ground or the lower part of his leg ended up pinned, it could have been much more serious.
Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Football Outlook
His nine-game streak of scoring under double-digit PPR fantasy points was absolutely miserable for fantasy managers. Expectations of him having a repeat of his monster 2022 season haven't materialized, and he's been even worse this year than he was in 2023.
Good lord, Jaylen Waddle 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/cXGamwyYdK https://t.co/qxeY3aXwkW
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) November 29, 2024
It seems that the production hasn't been matching the talent. The biggest reason for this is likely the offense adjusting to poor pass-blocking, and that isn't likely to change. He's a risky WR3/FLEX start if he returns in Week 17, as he may be limited due to his injury still.
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