Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots after taking a blow to the back of the head late in regulation.
Waddle was on the ground, clearly shaken up, after taking an illegal hit to the head by linebacker Marte Mapu.
Waddle needed immediate medical attention and then went directly to the blue medical tent for further evaluation. Mapu was assessed a 15-yard penalty for the hit.
The Dolphins announced a short time later that Waddle was being evaluated for a concussion.
Injury Update | Jaylen Waddle is being evaluated pursuant to the concussion protocol.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 18, 2023
Prior to the injury, Waddle had caught four passes for 86 yards.
“Any time one of your guys goes down, it’s always concerning,” said Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who spoke with Waddle after the game. “It seems as if he’s in good spirits. Hoping for the best for him.”
On Monday, McDaniel told reporters that Waddle is in the concussion protocol and he “already started progressing in that process today.”
Fantasy Fallout From Waddle’s Injury
Waddle left the game after a big hit on an incompletion late in the fourth quarter. It looked worse than it was, but the NFL is not taking any chances with possible concussions. If Waddle is indeed concussed, he will almost certainly miss next week’s game.
Ever since the Tua situation last year, the NFL has been much stricter with concussions. There is a chance we never see a player return from a concussion in just one week ever again.
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Without Waddle, Tagovailoa will likely lean on Tyreek Hill even more. The Dolphins lack a clear WR3, rotating Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, and even Erik Ezukanma at times. It would not be recommended to pick any of them up.
Hopefully, Waddle was just shaken up and ultimately gets cleared of a concussion, similar to what happened to Tyler Lockett in Week 1.
Analysis provided by PFN’s Fantasy Analyst Jason Katz