Fantasy Football Player Notes

Heading into 2021, Tyreek Hill was a consensus top-three receiver option. But he came in slightly under expectations. The 'Cheetah' wrapped a bow on the year as the WR6 overall and in points per game (14.2).

It's worth noting that Hill posted a career-low in yards after the catch per reception (4.3, 42nd) and yards per route run (2.14, 11th). Hill's aDOT also dipped dramatically to 10.6, which was the lowest it's been since his rookie season.

And It's undeniable that going from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa is a massive downgrade for Hill. Tagovailoa has yet to show that he can properly fuel a fantasy WR1, so it's hard to expect Hill to deliver a top-5 season with a lesser passer. Especially with Tagovailoa's lack of a confident deep ball, a prominent running game, and Jaylen Waddle also heavily involved in the offensive game plan. Sure, Hill will have his weeks when he is peppered with low-value targets in PPR formats, but the massive downfield touchdowns will happen much less frequently.

Jaylen Waddle looked primed to make the leap into the top-12 conversation after a stellar rookie season. Along with breaking Anquan Boldin's rookie reception record, Waddle commanded a 22% target share and 24% target rate per route run - 18th-best in the NFL.

But with the expensive addition of veteran Tyreek Hill, it is less likely that Waddle is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver in Miami. Hill is coming off a season where he commanded the league's seventh-highest target rate per route run (27%). The trade moves Waddle down from a fringe WR1 to mid-range fantasy WR2 after seeing almost zero target competition last season.

Established career highs in targets, catches and yardage in 2021, but he scored only two TDs. Late-season drop in efficiency is concerning. Averaged 8.6 yards per target over his first eight games, 5.4 YPT over his last nine.

Tua's 2021 season revealed him to be more of a game manager than a playmaker. The average depth of his throws was 7 yards, and he looked more comfortable throwing underneath than downfield. Tua topped 300 yards just once in 12 games and threw for fewer than 200 yards in 4 of his last 8 starts. The addition of WR Tyreek helps, but can Tua take full advantage of Hill's speed? Tua's rushing contributions are more window dressing than needle-moving.

Cedrick Wilson will be facing an uphill battle when it comes to demanding targets in an offense with Waddle, Hill, Edmonds and Mike Gesicki Injuries lit the path for Wilson to be productive last season in Dallas and may be required for a second straight year.

After all, Wilson is a 27-year old wide receiver that has yet to total 1,000 total receiving yards since being drafted in 2018.

Leaving a high-powered Dallas offense for a Miami offense led by an unproven quarterback makes it less likely Wilson delivers as many spike weeks as he did in 2021 - even as a more full-time player.

Turned in an efficient if unspectacular season for the Panthers in 2020 but failed to unlock the Broncos' considerable pass-catching talent in 2021. Will now back up Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.