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Will Jaylen Waddle play today for Week 3 Thursday Night Football (TNF)? Is Jaylen Waddle playing or out? The latest Jaylen Waddle injury report and fantasy updates.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (shoulder) has been no stranger to injury issues in his career. He's now in his fifth season in the NFL, and he's missed six contests so far.
More often, though, he plays through injuries, gets pulled from games with ailments, and battles through a variety of health issues to stay on the field. Sometimes, he feels like a near-constant presence on his team's injury reports.
It could be true that his injuries are hurting his ability to produce on the field. His meteoric rise through WR rankings after his huge 2022 season has been followed by a steady decline as he has failed to reach those numbers again. But how is Waddle doing now, and will he play tonight?
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Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Football Injury Update
Waddle is still dealing with the same shoulder issue that put him on the injury report ahead of Week 1. Interestingly, he had been removed from the injury report before Monday's practice, but was later downgraded to limited participation.
Waddle did have a good game in Week 2, catching five of his seven targets for 68 yards and a touchdown grab. It's possible he could have felt a bit better that game and reaggravated the issue. It's also possible the Dolphins had a better schematic matchup, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was able to perform much better against a softer Patriots defense.
Dolphins-Bills injury report for Tuesday
WR Jaylen Waddle downgraded to limited participant, otherwise no changes from yesterday pic.twitter.com/HVdwb1qnG8
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) September 16, 2025
There isn't much more information that we have right now. We'll have to wait until closer to game time. The list of active players must be submitted by NFL teams 90 minutes before kickoff. We might have to wait until then to get the final word.
Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Football Injury Impact
Waddle could see his reps capped by the injury. Perhaps he will get fewer targets. It's also possible he could have reduced snaps. But he played 82 percent of the team's offensive snaps in Week 2, and though he played just 65 percent in Week 1, that was a blowout loss in which the starters were eventually benched on the final drive.
Tua Tagovailoa drops it into the bucket for a Jaylen Waddle TD!
FINALLY! pic.twitter.com/DgZJSEX6Sn
— Nic Rohloff (@nic_rohloff) September 14, 2025
Through two weeks, Waddle averaged 1.88 yards per route run. That's up from 1.66 from his previous full season, but down from the elite 2.67 YPRR mark from 2023, which ranked eighth among receivers in the league. The entire Dolphins offense has been trending downward through 2024 and into this season.
It's hard to speculate on how his injury will affect him since we don't have much information about it. But it's not hard to project that playing on the road against the Buffalo Bills on a short week won't do him any favors. And the short week won't help his recovery, either.
Jaylen Waddle in 2023: 2.67 Yards Per Route Run (WR8)
...
In 2024: 1.66 YPRR (WR58)
In 2025: 1.85 YPRR (WR32)That 2025 number might also be skewed by playing against the Patriots secondary without Christian Gonzalez.
I don't think the bounce back season for Waddle is…
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 17, 2025
It's hard to see Waddle having a big fantasy day unless the Dolphins get him the ball a lot in garbage time, and he picks up a touchdown. The Bills pass defense has been one of the toughest matchups for receivers in fantasy football in recent years.
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Popular Week 3 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
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