DeVante Parker Injury Update Boosts Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Outlook

The Miami Dolphins will attempt to upset the reigning Super Bowl champions in Week 5, but they will have to do so without one of their top receivers. Wideout DeVante Parker will miss Sunday's game due to a hamstring injury, leaving Miami with little depth behind starting rookie Jaylen Waddle.

Keep in mind that the Dolphins already placed Will Fuller on the injured reserve because of a finger injury. It wouldn't be surprising to see Waddle get fed the football this week as quarterback Jacoby Brissett's go-to target. This obviously boosts his fantasy outlook.

DeVante Parker has been ruled out with hamstring injury. A bummer for Dolphins who planned to feed Parker the rock early and often today vs. Bucs. MIA WR crew suddenly light without Parker, Will Fuller (on IR) & Jakeem Grant (trade). Opportunity for Preston Williams to step up.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 10, 2021

Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Outlook

Waddle has played well over his first four NFL games, hauling in 25 of 30 targets for 200 yards and 1 touchdown. He has shown flashes of elite speed as well as an ability to create space from defenders. The 2021 first-round pick's consistency has led him to being the WR34 in PPR scoring leagues.

The absence of Parker should give Waddle a bigger role in Week 5. Parker leads all Dolphins players with 211 snaps played this year and is averaging 8.0 targets per game. That is a lot of volume left up for grabs and Waddle's big play potential makes him the top candidate to step up.

Waddle is set to face some tougher coverage acting as the No. 1 WR, but the Buccaneers have been torched by the pass all season. In fact, Tampa Bay is giving up a league-leading 327.5 passing yards per game in addition to the most PPR fantasy points to opposing WRs.

Fantasy managers can feel comfortable starting Waddle this week given he has the upside of a WR2.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.