The Miami Dolphins’ star receiver, Tyreek Hill, enters the 2025 season under a cloud of uncertainty, both physically and professionally. After a tumultuous offseason marked by public frustration with the organization and trade speculation, Hill now faces additional concerns with an oblique strain that has kept him sidelined during crucial practice sessions.
While the injury is expected to heal before Week 1, it adds another layer of complexity to an already complicated situation in Miami. The 31-year-old speedster’s relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains questionable, raising doubts about their on-field chemistry and Hill’s overall production potential.
What Is Tyreek Hill’s Injury?
It’s been a rough offseason for Hill as he tries to repair his relationship with the Dolphins after saying he was done with the team out of frustration. Recently, he’s missed practice with an oblique strain.
Hill should be ready for Week 1, but we have serious concerns about his focus level, rapport with Tagovailoa, and the potential for production decline at age 31. Jaylen Waddle could end up being the leading receiver on this team, and Malik Washington is the WR3.
From a fantasy football perspective, Hill presents one of the most intriguing risk-reward scenarios of the 2025 draft season. His 2024 campaign showed concerning signs of decline, with his yards per reception dropping significantly from 15.1 to 11.8, suggesting the explosive deep threat that made him a fantasy superstar may be fading.
Historical precedent with aging receivers like Andre Johnson and Julio Jones serves as a cautionary tale for fantasy managers considering Hill as a second-round investment. With emerging talent like Jaylen Waddle potentially ready to assume the WR1 role and ongoing trade speculation that could disrupt Hill’s season entirely, his fantasy stock carries substantial bust potential despite his elite pedigree.
Hill’s Fantasy Football Outlook
Fantasy managers have difficult decisions to make regarding Tyreek Hill after a terrible 2024. Hill played in all 17 games but had his lowest number of targets (123), receptions (81), receiving yards (959), and touchdowns (6) since an injury-shortened 2019 season. Hill finished as the WR30 in PPR scoring and handed him the fewest PPR points per game since his rookie season (12.8).
It is easy to explain Hill’s struggles due to a wrist injury and another injury-plagued season from Tua Tagovailoa that stunted the whole offense (outside of running back De’Von Achane). However, his dip in advanced metrics is also impossible to ignore. Hill had a career low mark in yards after the catch per reception (3.6) and the third lowest average target depth (11.4). Hill also lost out on much of his work in the screen game to Achane, which hurt his weekly floor in fantasy.
We know Hill still has his explosive speed after he ran a 10.15 100-meter dash at a track meet this summer. However, he has gotten far less attention during training camp this summer than Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane. Hill’s days as a locked-in top-five receiver may be behind him, but his boom-or-bust ability in the passing attack should sustain a high-end WR2 season with weekly WR1 upside.