Fantasy Football Impact: Who Will Be The Miami Dolphins WR1?

Going over which Miami Dolphins WR will have the most fantasy value in the 2026 NFL season.

Aug 23, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington (6) runs with the football against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the Departure of WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins, the depth in Miami’s WR room is heavily depleted. Someone will have to step up and be the premier pass-catching target for QB Malik Willis. The two most likely candidates are either WR Malik Washington or WR Jalen Tolbert. Here is a breakdown of who has more value between the two. 

Malik Washington

Jan 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington (6) reacts after catching a two-yard pass for a touchdown thrown by quarterback Quinn Ewers (not pictured) against the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Washington is seen by the majority of people as the most likely to be Miami's WR1. But in 2025, he provided no production to prove that he is ready for that role. Last season, he had 46 receptions for 317 receiving yards and three TDs. His best game came against the Atlanta Falcons, where he had four receptions for 36 receiving yards and a TD.

There is a major concern that any fantasy manager should have when viewing Washington as a potential fantasy draft pick. In 2025, he went into the season as Miami’s WR3. When Hill went down with a season-ending injury in Week 4, Washington assumed the role of WR2. In what should have been a spot where Washington could have broken out and shown fantasy football promise, he amounted to nothing close to that. So, with him now potentially assuming the role of WR1, it would be a bit silly to assume a rise in production is to come with that, given how his season panned out last year.

ESPN in PPR fantasy football formats has Washington ranked as WR82.

Jalen Tolbert

Jul 30, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) works during practice at Baptist Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It will be Tolbert’s first season with the Dolphins. He spent his previous four seasons of his NFL career all with the Dallas Cowboys. In 2025 with the Cowboys as their WR3 in 13 games, he had 18 receptions for 203 receiving yards and one TD.

Tolbert, unlike Washington, has shown flashes of at least being able to have big game potential. In 2024, still as the Cowboys’ WR3, but when they did not have George Pickens, Tolbert had 49 receptions for 610 receiving yards and seven TDs. His best game was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he had seven receptions for 87 receiving yards and a TD. In two years in the NFL, Washington has had just one game with over 50 receiving yards.

ESPN for PPR fantasy formats has Tolbert ranked as WR83.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who is a better option in fantasy football between Tolbert and Washington, Tolbert is. Washington floundered in a huge opportunity to become a cornerstone of Miami’s passing game in 2025. With him doing that, it is better to put stock in Tolbert, who at least had some notable fantasy performances.

Neither of the two Miami WRs should be drafted by fantasy managers. However, if Tolbert has a noteworthy game in the first couple of weeks of the 2026 season. He is not a bad waiver wire pickup to go after, as the production he put forth is likely not a fluke.