Can Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle Feast in Fantasy Football Without Jonnu Smith?

The Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines on Monday morning with an eye-popping trade. Miami sent Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

While Ramsey and Fitzpatrick on the move is the big news, the trade of Smith has the attention of fantasy football managers. Smith's fantasy football value on the Steelers draws attention, and the impact of his departure from the Dolphins is also worth taking into account.

Of course, Miami has its share of talented pass catchers led by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Does the departure of Smith mean larger roles for Hill and Waddle in fantasy football?

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Football Outlook

According to FantasyPros' average draft position, Smith was TE21 and 195th overall in last year's drafts for half-PPR. Smith went on to turn in excellent value by finishing as TE4 and totaling a career-high 884 receiving yards. He racked up 111 targets (fourth-most) and a 20.0% target share (ninth-most), per PlayerProfiler.

This is a big void in an offense that had the 11th-highest pass-play rate and 7th-most passing attempts per game a season ago. Does this mean even larger roles for Hill and Waddle?

Most of the Fins' focus has been in the trenches, meaning Hill and Waddle shouldn't have much competition. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was the only notable addition to the passing attack, and he wasn't a high volume target last season with an 11.9% target share (85th). His 18.8% red zone target share and nine touchdowns is what led to some fantasy value as WR47.

However, getting this kind of workload in the red zone is unlikely in an offense with Hill, Waddle, and De'Von Achane. Smith being traded should help Westbrook-Ikhine get a few more targets, but I doubt he becomes a huge fantasy piece.

With that said, Hill was down to 81 catches and 123 targets for 959 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns last year compared to 119 receptions and 171 targets for 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns from the 2023 season. His 21.9% target share ranked only 38th among wideouts compared to leading the league with a 33.7% target share in 2023.

Waddle didn't have as dramatic of a drop off, going from 72 catches, 104 targets, 1,014 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns in 2023 to 58 receptions, 83 targets, 744 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns a season ago.

Smith joining this group and immediately becoming one of the most utilized tight ends in the NFL had a clear impact on Hill and Waddle's fantasy outlook. Tua Tagovailoa playing in only 11 games compared to 17 in the 2023 season certainly had a negative impact, as well.

The scoring potential of each wideout should also jump. Smith led the three with a 22.9% red zone target while finding the end zone 8 times. Hill had a 21.7% red zone target share (37.9% in 2023) while Waddle posted a 12.7% mark (14.8% in 2023).

This move is good news for Hill and Waddle's volume going forward -- which, of course, has a direct impact on fantasy football. We should expect more targets and catches for Waddle, but this feels like more important news for Hill. His red zone work could have a dramatic increase, helping provide value for his current WR16 ADP for the upcoming 2025 season.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.