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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (knee) suffered a knee injury in Week 15 after having played 14 straight games without missing significant game time due to injury issues this season. He was pulled from that game and didn't return.
Since then, he's missed both Week 16 and Week 17, and with the end of the season drawing near and his team eliminated from playoff contention, Week 18 will be his last opportunity to suit up for a contest before his offseason begins.
So will Waddle play again in Week 18 or is his 2024 season over?
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Jaylen Waddle Injury Update for Fantasy Football
It appears that there's some good news on this front -- Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is reportedly "optimistic" that Waddle will return for the team's final game this year. And McDaniel has a fantastic track record of openness and honesty about his players' injury statuses.
#Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel has an 85% reliability rating on injury coachspeak
We expect Jaylen Waddle to play this week https://t.co/Rox8zCi2oI pic.twitter.com/NFyzgAoFaR
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) December 30, 2024
Given his reliability on news like this, fantasy managers should expect to get No. 17 back for Week 18. Whether he'll be 100% isn't known yet, but he should at least be close to it. He was never placed on injured reserve, and it was reported previously that he avoided a major ailment.
Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Football Outlook
Miami's Sunday opponent, the New York Jets, have already been eliminated from playoff contention. It's difficult to predict how games like this will go, but the Jets defense has regressed massively since the firing of their former head coach, Robert Saleh.
From today's column ($): The Jets have fielded the worst defense in football by EPA per play since firing Robert Saleh. https://t.co/KxdW13UApY pic.twitter.com/pCcatCbDhB
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 28, 2024
The organization has terrible vibes as well, and on film, it seems that a lot of their players have lost faith. Which isn't a surprise. That said, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip) is in danger of missing another contest due to his hip injury. If he can't play, Waddle shouldn't be started.
The #Dolphins downplayed Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury for weeks. Now it’s at the point he can’t play in a critical game with a surprise doubtful designation. Something doesn’t smell right on this one.
Are we talking about the same surgically repaired hip that had Tua off some… pic.twitter.com/zP1l3h9cwu
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 29, 2024
If their QB1 is able to go, though, "JDubs" is a decent WR3/FLEX option.
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