There are a couple of Miami Dolphins wideouts gaining some traction in fantasy football at the moment. The team isn’t very good and just saw a star player go down with an injury, but both Malik Washington and Chris Bell have shown a little bit of upside to start the season. Both are going to be hot topics on the Week 4 waiver wire, but which one of them is the better pickup?
Add Malik Washington or Chris Bell from waivers?
The Dolphins are 0-3 and just lost De’Von Achane to a torn ACL that’ll sideline him for the remainder of the season. The outlook is dire for winning football games, but there should be plenty of pass attempts in Malik Willis’ future. That could help prop up one, or even both, of the main wideouts in this offense.
Neither of Malik Washington or Chris Bell are stars, nor does it seem likely that either will become one just yet in this offense. However, there’s a case that at least one of them can potentially become turn into a starter-worthy fantasy asset. Grabbing one off the waiver wire before it’s too late could prove crucial, but which one has the better outlook?
We’ll start with Washington. Now in his third NFL season, he’s easily on pace for the best year of his short career. He amassed 317 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 46 receptions last year, adding another 110 yards and one more score as a rusher on 17 carries. He didn’t have a major role by any means, but he did record three weeks of double-digit fantasy points after getting a bump on the depth chart following Tyreek Hill’s season-ending injury.
The former sixth-round pick has posted 12 receptions for 152 yards on 23 targets so far this season, averaging just 8.7 FPPG. That’s not a player you’re particularly excited about starting, but the potential uptick in pass rate for this offense could lead to greater volume moving forward. Washington is also coming off his best game yet, posting 11.1 PPR points on 10 targets with five catches for 56 yards, plus two carries for five rushing yards. After seeing double-digit targets for the first time in his career and matching his previous career-best mark of eight targets in Week 1, there’s a case for him to produce.
As for Bell, the third-round rookie came to Miami on the heels of a torn ACL suffered during his final collegiate season. During his last year at Louisville, the wideout recorded 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns over his 11 games, an impressive campaign before that injury cut things short. He wound up cleared to play in the NFL starting in Week 1 and caught just one of his three targets for 25 yards over the first two games. However, his Week 3 performance impressed with four catches for 67 yards on seven targets, the best outing of his brief time as a pro.
That performance included a 44-yard catch-and-run that showed great ability with the ball in his hands, especially for a 6-foot-2, 228-pound receiver. Bell put up 10.7 PPR points last week, so there’s a possibility he can continue building on that showing moving forward. He does profile more as a traditional alpha wideout than Washington does, but what do the numbers tell us?
For starters, Washington is on the field much more through the first three weeks. He’s played 85.5% of snaps with an 86.0% route rate compared to 54.9% and 53.3% for Bell, though it should be noted the latter may be seeing his workload managed as he works back to full strength from that torn ACL. However, Washington has him beat in several other areas.
Washington maintains an edge in opportunity metrics. He has a 26.7% target share and averages 0.25 targets per route run, also logging a 26.7% first-read percentage. He’s also seen his usage split between 42.4% of routes out wide, 48.9% from in the slot, and 8.7% from in the backfield. He’s averaging 9.70 xFPPG, too. Bell has him beat in some areas – his aDOT is over four yards higher (14.89) while his yards per target (9.20) and yards per catch (18.40) are also better. Still, the rookie hasn’t been on the field as much and has a target share of just 11.6% with 4.24 xFPPG.
For what it’s worth, there’s not a massive difference in their production on a per-route basis since Washington produces 0.25 points per route to 0.25 for Bell. However, Washington is also getting the chance to carry the football in the backfield and could even take on more rushing work with two or three carries a game in Achane’s absence.
Bell isn’t a bad speculative add, but Washington is the better target on the Week 4 waiver wire thanks to his advantages in opportunity share and possible rushing touches. In reality, it’s possible that neither player is one you want to start in fantasy lineups this season because of the state of the Dolphins’ offense, but both do provide an interesting case as a waiver pickup based on their profiles.
