Who Should I Start? Jaylen Waddle or Rashid Shaheed

Wednesday, January 28, 1:45 PM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle bounced back from the worst season of his career in 2024 by catching 64 of his 100 targets for 910 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 16 starts in his fifth year in the NFL in 2025. Waddle also had 28 rushing yards. It was good enough to put him as the WR22 in half-PPR scoring. It was nice to see the 27-year-old pass-catcher bounce back from a disastrous 2024 campaign, but it might have still been somewhat of a disappointment for him, considering Tyreek Hill (knee) missed most of the year with a season-ending injury. Waddle thankfully had a larger target share, but the Dolphins' offense just was unable to find its explosiveness for a second straight season, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was benched late in the year. Waddle still has the talent to provide plenty of value in PPR fantasy leagues, but his value is in major flux heading into 2026 under a completely new coaching staff. Hill's return (whenever that may be) will also be a negative for Waddle's ceiling.

Sunday, February 15, 4:41 AM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed proved to be a valuable contributor down the stretch, ultimately helping his team get in position to win Super Bowl LX. Shaheed opened the year with the New Orleans Saints, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2022, but was dealt to the Seahawks at the 2025 trade deadline. He stepped into a share of the No. 2 role alongside Cooper Kupp, and the two paired their respective playing skills with the elite productivity of No. 1 receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Shaheed finished the year with 687 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 59 catches, ranking as the overall WR39 in full-PPR leagues. His fantasy stock was boosted a bit by punt and kick return yards, although he didn't score a special teams touchdown in the regular season. All in all, Shaheed's big-play upside left him in a boom-or-bust pattern of performances. He had six games with fewer than 5.0 points in full-PPR leagues, but he also had six games with at least 11.8 points. Shaheed is a free agent this offseason, and while a Seattle return seems quite possible, we'd expect him to remain a boom-or-bust wherever he ends up. He'll likely be a fringe top-50 fantasy receiver entering 2026 fantasy football drafts.