Six weeks into the NFL season, it is officially time to start looking into fantasy football trades.
Whether you’re fighting for a playoff spot and looking for a Hail Mary, or you’re undefeated and trying to prey on the desperate teams, there is a large enough sample size to start some serious conversations about how to move forward. Injuries have left plenty of managers short-handed, as have disappointing starts from some notable stars.
Fantasy football trades are always tough to get across the finish line, so it could take a while for a deal to come together. Before Week 7 gets underway, it’s time to take stock of where certain players of note stand — like A.J. Brown, Drake London, Brian Thomas Jr., Ja’Marr Chase, Ladd McConkey, CeeDee Lamb, Alvin Kamara, Chase Brown and Derrick Henry. DraftKings is here to break down who could be worth moving, with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle up next.
Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Value
Since breaking out as a top-10 receiver in his second NFL season, Jaylen Waddle has become less and less fantasy-relevant. He went from WR7 in 2022 to WR32 in 2023 and WR48 in 2024. Setting aside Tua Tagovailoa’s injuries and limitations as a passer, Waddle was simply getting less looks. He racked up 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns on 75 and 117 targets in 2022, then averaged 879 yards, three touchdowns, 65 catches and 94 targets between 2023 and 2024. As a result, Waddle entered 2025 going between 65th and 85th in most fantasy drafts, bordering on being a top-30 receiver.
Waddle was performing about even to expectations across the first few weeks of the season. He had two touchdowns through four weeks, averaging four catches, six targets and 46 yards en route to 11.9 PPR fantasy points per game. After Tyreek Hill went down with his season-ending knee injury, though, Waddle jumped on the opportunity to break out. He went for 110 yards and a touchdown on six catches and nine targets in Week 5. Then, in Week 6, Waddle caught six of his eight targets for 95 yards, on top of one completed pass for eight yards.
All the while, the Dolphins have gotten off to a 1-5 start. Coach Mike McDaniel’s seat is getting hotter by the day, and Tagovailoa is airing the locker room’s dirty laundry to the media – to say nothing of Hill’s injury. Waddle has averaged 19.3 PPR fantasy points through it all, climbing up to WR12 in the process.
Should I trade Jaylen Waddle?
Waddle is far from untouchable, but rushing to sell high may not be in your best interest. Even with the threat of a potential coaching change looming over Miami, Waddle is the unchallenged WR1 in the team’s offense. He is finally scoring touchdowns at a semi-regular rate, on top of soaking up a career-high 21.6% target rate. That is only going up with Hill out, as Waddle just recorded back-to-back games with eight-plus targets for the first time since December 2023.
As long as McDaniel is in charge, he will run a high-octane offense that will create plenty of opportunities for Waddle. Rather than being a volatile second option, Waddle is finally getting consistent run as a top target. Only trade him if you can find someone willing to pay a steep price, given what he has done over the past few weeks and what he projects to do for the rest of the season.
What trade package could Jaylen Waddle fetch?
Waddle should be valued as a top-20 receiver and top-50 player in fantasy moving forward. As a result, receivers on a similar tier include DK Metcalf, Zay Flowers, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Brian Thomas Jr. – maybe A.J. Brown, if you still believe he can turn things around. He has a higher floor than Keenan Allen and Courtland Sutton, and his role in the offense is far more secure. It’s more difficult to nail down the running backs in that bracket, but Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III and Quinshon Judkins seem like the cleanest matches.
The better move would probably be to package Waddle with someone else to try and go for a serious upgrade. Waddle and a startable running back could net you Kyren Williams or Josh Jacobs.
