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USATSI

Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle spent time with our CBS Sports HQ crew on Saturday at Dolphins training camp, and, as you would expect, they expressed plenty of optimism for the upcoming season. However, we also learned some things about three players who could be extremely relevant to Fantasy this year.

Hill might be the most polarizing member of the Dolphins -- and maybe the player with the most Fantasy upside. He said at the start of training camp that he's fully healthy from last year's wrist injury. And Hill told CBS Sports HQ that he slimmed down heading into this year.

"When I first got to Miami (in 2022) I was about 195," Hill said. "But I felt kind of fat. I felt like Maurice Jones-Drew when I got here. Big stomach, chubby thighs. But Jones-Drew was great. I never said he wasn't great, but he was thick. I feel like I played better when I was in KC. I was playing about 185-188, and now I'm back to that size. I feel great. I'm moving great, my conditioning is great and I'm able to have more endurance whenever Mike (McDaniel) has us motioning all over the place."

Last year was a disaster for Hill, who averaged at least 20.1 PPR points per game in his first two seasons in Miami. But in 2024, Hill was at 12.8 PPR points per game with 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns on 123 targets. He struggled with a wrist injury, along with Tagovailoa being out six games due to multiple injuries (concussion/hip).

But Hill, 31, feels like he can return to his previous production, and he wants to prove that to everyone, which hopefully includes Fantasy managers.

"Just being on top of things," Hill said. "The small things. Just holding myself accountable when it matters. Making plays for my team. For myself, staying on top of my recovery. Staying after practice. Just doing extra things. A lot of things that translate later into the season."

Hill also has to get on the same page with Tagovailoa. At the end of last season, Hill implied he wanted to leave the Dolphins, which didn't sit well with his quarterback and likely others in the locker room. 

Hill walked back those comments this offseason, but Tagovailoa said at the start of training camp that Hill has "to build everything up again. It's still a work in progress, not just for me but for everybody."

Hill addressed what Tua said on CBS Sports HQ.

"Like he said, it's a work in progress," Hill said. "Me and Tua, we both have similar goals. We both want to win. We both want to be great leaders for the locker room. That's just me showing up. Showing the guys that I'm always going to be here. I'm always going to come out to practice and work hard. I'm going to be my best version each and every day. Just know I'm not perfect. But I am looking to improve myself each and every day. I'm looking to learn each and every day. I think that's important. That's the only way I'm going to grow as a person, and that's the only way I'm going to grow as a player also on this team."

Added Tagovailoa: "Phenomenal player. I mean, everybody knows about Tyreek Hill, knows about his speed, the kids love him, the fans love him, what he can do for their Fantasy teams, whatever which way you want to put it. But he's trying to figure himself out as a man, as a father, as a teammate, as a son ... and it's pretty cool. The transition in which the relationships that he's trying to build with guys on the team, going into deeper meanings instead of surface level talks, it's a work in progress. Things like that just don't happen overnight where you said I'm sorry and we're cool. You have to rebuild that and continue to work on it."

I'm willing to gamble on Hill again, but he's no longer a Round 1 pick. The earliest I would draft Hill is the end of Round 2, but he has the potential to be a top-10 Fantasy receiver again, with the upside of a top-five finish if Tagovailoa stays healthy.

It should help Hill and Waddle that Jonnu Smith is gone after being traded to Pittsburgh. Darren Waller came out of retirement to replace Smith, but Waller is currently on the PUP list. It's hard to envision Waller, 32, being as featured as Smith was in 2024.

Smith was second on the Dolphins last season in targets (111), first in receptions (88) and touchdowns (eight) and second in yards (884). We hope that production gets shifted back to Hill and Waddle, who also had a down season in 2024.

Waddle averaged at least 14.2 PPR points per game in each of his first three seasons, but that fell to just 9.9 PPR points in 2024. It was the first time in Waddle's career that he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards when he finished with 58 catches for 744 yards and two touchdowns on 83 targets.

Waddle also was among the league leaders in drops last season with eight, and he's trying to rectify that. He picked up juggling as a hobby this offseason, which he thinks will help.

"It's much harder than I thought it was going to be," Waddle said on CBS Sports HQ. "It does help with hand-eye coordination, just seeing the ball all the way through."

Waddle has plenty of bounce-back potential this season, but the earliest he will get drafted is Round 5 in the majority of leagues. I wouldn't be surprised if Waddle finished as a top-20 Fantasy receiver in 2025.

Both receivers playing at a high level would obviously be a boost for Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with 4,624. That's the only time in his career he played a full season, and hopefully he can stay healthy again this year.

Tagovailoa averaged 19.3 Fantasy points per game in 2023 and 19.9 points in 2024, so we know what to expect from him as a Fantasy quarterback. He's a good backup, who could creep into the top 12 if things go right. Tagovailoa is worth a late-round pick in all one-quarterback leagues and a mid-round selection in Superflex and two-quarterback formats.

Along with this trio, De'Von Achane should be a Fantasy star. For the season in 2024, Achane averaged 17.6 PPR points per game, but in 11 games with Tagovailoa, Achane averaged 22.6 PPR points, which is elite. Achane is worth drafting toward the end of Round 1 in all formats.

I also like Jaylen Wright as a late-round flier as the handcuff to Achane. And Waller could be a late-round pick if he gets off the PUP list soon.

But Hill, Waddle and Tagovailoa are worth keeping an eye on in training camp. All three have the chance to erase a down 2024 and bounce back to Fantasy greatness in 2025.