Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill season-ending knee injury fantasy impact: Jaylen Waddle, Darren Waller, and more

The Miami Dolphins finally broke into the win column on Monday Night Football, grinding out a 27-21 triumph over the New York Jets. 

Yet the victory came with a cloud hanging over it, as star wide receiver Tyreek Hill exited in the third quarter after dislocating his knee on a catch and was later taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.

The Dolphins are set to receive further updates on Tuesday, but the early outlook suggests that Hill's knee injury could rule him out for the remainder of the season.

No one inside Hard Rock Stadium was prepared for the sight of Hill collapsing on the turf — not the fans, not the Dolphins, and likely not Hill himself. Just moments earlier, he torched the New York Jets down the sideline in probably his best game of the season. But in an instant, the tone shifted. This wasn't the usual "bounce right back up" scene — his left leg was bent in a way that simply didn’t look natural.

It's a crushing setback for a Miami squad that finally notched its first win of the season, yet now stares at a 1-3 record without the league's most explosive big-play weapon of the last decade. The struggles have been evident since Week 1’s demolition at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts, followed by hard-fought but unsuccessful outings against the Patriots and Bills.

Even Monday's 27-21 triumph over the Jets came with more than a bit of good fortune — New York coughed up the ball three times, including a costly fumble at the goal line. Luck might help you sneak out a victory here and there in the NFL, but it won't carry a team through an entire season. And right now, Miami simply doesn't have the firepower to consistently topple teams stronger than the Jets.

The loss of Tyreek Hill is a crushing blow for a Dolphins team already struggling to find its footing. While Hill hasn't been the unstoppable force he once was, registering 15 catches for 198 yards and a single touchdown so far, he still served as the offense's primary downfield threat, a weapon defenses had to respect. Losing that dynamic presence, especially if his dislocated knee sidelines him for an extended period, leaves a huge hole in Miami’s attack.

Someone has to rise to the occasion, and Jaylen Waddle looks like the clear candidate. Since Hill arrived in 2022, the 26-year-old has been the Dolphins' WR2, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons alongside him. Injuries in 2024 kept Waddle from showing his full capabilities, but it’s easy to forget just how gifted the Alabama product is.

Waddle exploded onto the scene in his rookie season, setting the record for most receptions by a first-year player with 104 catches as Miami's top offensive target. With Hill out, Waddle now steps into the WR1 role, paired with Malik Washington and Darren Waller. Given Miami's porous defense forcing the team into high-scoring, shootout scenarios, Waddle has a chance to deliver consistent WR2 production while also providing significant upside as a game-breaking weapon.

Next week's matchup with the Panthers looks like a softer landing spot, but after that, the road gets brutal. The Dolphins will square off with the Chargers, Browns, Falcons, Ravens, Bills, and Commanders before hitting their Week 12 bye. 

Even with Hill in the mix, the odds were stacked against them to come out ahead in that stretch. Without him, it feels almost inevitable that Miami will pile up more losses than wins.