Should I drop Jaylen Waddle? Week 12 fantasy projection for Dolphins WR

Jaylen Waddle and the Dolphins have had a frustrating season so far and fantasy football owners have also been left disappointed form what they have seen from the wide receiver in 2024. Much of that can be traced to Tua Tagovailo's extended layoff due to concussion and the time required for the quarterback to get back to his best once he returned.

But there are indications to be hopeful after the last two weeks. The Dolphins lost a close game to the Bills by three points three weeks back and have since defeated the Rams and the Raiders. However, that has not led to an uptick in Jaylen Waddle's performances and fantasy points.

The wide receiver has 90 yards in the last three games. He has caught just eight passes in that period and a single touchdown. Based on these considerations, we look at whether Jaylen Waddle should be dropped going into their game against the Patriots.

Should I drop Jaylen Waddle for Week 12 fantasy football?

The Dolphins have a 4-6 record but are second in the AFC East because their divisional rivals have been extremely poor too. The Patriots are 3-8 and sit at the bottom of the division entering Week 12.

One of the reasons New England has struggled this year is because their defense has not been able to step up in crucial moments. They have not been helped by a stuttering offense but that does not absolve them of their responsibility when they are allowing the opposition quarterbacks to convert a third of their red zone passes.

Hence, there is an increased probability that Jaylen Waddle could score a touchdown in this matchup. He is also healthy and did not feature on the injury report, while Tyreek Hill was limited in practice at least once this week with a lingering wrist issue. That could also indicate increased production for Waddle. Fantasy football managers might want to hold on to him in Week 12 and make a decision on dropping him after this game.

Jaylen Waddle's fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season

Jaylen Waddle is having a poor season by his standards. He only has 404 yards in 2024, more than a quarter of which came in the first week against the Jaguars. Even that should be put into perspective by noting that Jacksonville is allowing a whopping 413.7 yards per game on defense, which is comfortably the worst in the NFL right now.

Since then, the wideout has had just one game where he has touched the 50-yard mark and that came two weeks ago in their victory against the Rams. His single touchdown for the season also came against the Bills after Tua Tagovailoa returned.

Therefore, his performance is showing signs of improving. After the Patriots, the Dolphins face the Packers, Jets, Texans, 49ers, Browns, and New York again. All of these teams are eminently beatable and three of six currently have a losing record.

That could see Miami head coach Mike McDaniel opting for a more expansive offense and Jaylen Waddle and others could benefit from that. However, given the overall strength of the Dolphins' offense, we should not expect the wide receiver to reach the heights that he did last season. However, he could remain a viable option in the second tier of wideouts for the rest of the year.