Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Waddle had an excellent college career, totaling 106 receptions for 1,999 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in three years at Alabama.
More importantly, he had an outstanding rookie season. Waddle had 104 receptions on 140 targets for 1,015 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2021. The former Alabama star also had a rushing touchdown on two attempts that year.
However, some were concerned about Waddle after the Dolphins traded for Tyreek Hill. The second-year wide receiver was no long the team's top target guy. Yet, the former Alabama star had an outstanding 2022 season.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
What Did Jaylen Waddle Accomplish In 2022?
Last year Waddle had 75 receptions on 117 targets for 1,356 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. While his receptions and targets declined, the former Alabama star set a career-high in receiving yards and touchdowns last year.
Meanwhile, the young star wide receiver led the NFL, averaging 18.1 yards per reception. He nearly doubled his average as a rookie (9.8) as the Dolphins became a more explosive offense.
More importantly, Waddle was the WR7 in 2022, averaging 13 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. By comparison, he was the WR16 as a rookie, averaging 12.1 fantasy points per contest. Despite seeing his targets per game drop by 21.9%, the former Alabama star averaged 0.52 more fantasy points per target last season than as a rookie.
Is Jaylen Waddle Injured Or Healthy?
Unfortunately, the star wide receiver suffered an injury during a joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday. Waddle took a shot to the right side of his midsection. However, he was able to walk off the field under his own power. The former Alabama star was on the ground for a few minutes after making a catch.
Hopefully, fantasy players will receive an update from Miami sometime today. The longer we don’t get an update, the more fantasy players should start to worry. The only positive news is that the injury wasn’t to his legs, which rules out a significant knee or hip injury.
Assuming Waddle is ready to play Week 1, fantasy players shouldn’t move the wide receiver down in their rankings. However, we need to get an injury update before making any decision.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Win More With RotoBaller
Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:
More Fantasy Football Analysis