Who Should I Start? Jaylen Waddle or Malik Nabers

Saturday, December 20, 7:44 AM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has clearly been the Dolphins' go-to wide receiver since Tyreek Hill (knee) sustained a season-ending injury, but this week against the Bengals, he'll be working with a new QB, which makes him much higher risk. Last week against the Steelers, Waddle only managed two catches for 26 yards in the Dolphins' defeat. Since that loss eliminated the team from playoff contention, it was also likely the end of the season for Tua Tagovailoa, who will be replaced by Quinn Ewers for this week's matchup. Waddle has turned his 90 targets into 59 catches for 838 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season, and he should remain the focus of the passing game with a high ceiling. The rookie QB taking over does raise Waddle's risk, though, which is why he's slid to no. 24 in RotoBaller's WR rankings this week, making him a WR3 or flex play in standard leagues, instead of a reliable WR2.

Tuesday, October 28, 5:23 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) had surgery on Tuesday to fix the torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, and he "should be ready" for the start of next season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Nabers suffered his season-ending knee injury in the Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but he just now had surgery after doctors had to wait for the swelling in his knee to dissipate. Barring setbacks with his rehab and recovery in the offseason, the 22-year-old former first-rounder should be good to go for the start of the 2026 season next fall, although fantasy managers might have some reservations about rolling with a receiver coming off a major knee repair as a high-end WR1. Before his injury, though, Nabers had displayed his game-changing abilities with 271 yards and two scores on 18 receptions in four games. His long-term fantasy ceiling should be higher going forward now that rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart looks like the real deal.