Malik Washington
With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both out of the picture in Miami this season, Malik Washington has moved into the lead receiving role for the Dolphins and is now the team's primary outside target and occasional return man.
Role
Washington is listed as Miami's starting wide receiver and is functioning as the de facto WR1, drawing regular targets from Tua Tagovailoa on early downs and in the red zone; he has also handled some kick-return work, and he competes with the rest of Miami's receiver/tight end group (including any complementary wideouts and the tight ends) for the share of targets left behind by Hill and Waddle's departures.
He inherited the largest opportunity in the Miami passing game by default, has already shown he can win contested and scoring targets from Tua (including multiple touchdown connections), and his added value as a returner gives him a path to production even in weeks where the receiving stat line is modest.
He was a role/depth piece before this season and hasn't previously been established as a true No. 1-caliber target earner, so there's real uncertainty about whether Miami's offense generates enough consistent passing volume and efficiency for him to sustain a full lead-receiver stat line the rest of the way, especially as other pass catchers on the depth chart could chip into his target share.
Where analysts split
broad agreement
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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