ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler offered the latest on Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle ahead of Saturday’s playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I would say it’s looking up right now, talked to sources that kind of classified it as 60/40, almost 70/30, but they’ve been trending upward ’cause the Dolphins sat both players last week against Buffalo looking forward to the playoffs,” Fowler said.
“They figured, ‘Hey, let’s give them an extra week.’ Jaylen Waddle’s been looking really good the last few weeks at practice, moving well on that ankle issue. Raheem Mostert – little beat up with the knee and the ankle – but should be good to go.”
It’s great news for the Dolphins, as they are down several defensive players for the game, including Xavien Howard, Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel, Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode. The team may be forced to lean on its offense in Kansas City, and having both Mostert and Waddle in action would certainly make that easier for the team.
Mostert could be the most important piece for Miami, especially in a game that is expected to be played in cold weather.
The NFL is about to experience two of the most extreme weather games in its history.
Wind chills are expected to drop as low as -30°F in Kansas City as the #Chiefs battle the #Dolphins tomorrow night.
On Sunday morning in Buffalo, the #Bills will play against the… pic.twitter.com/vY6mB0rJ4W
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) January 13, 2024
The veteran running back had the best regular season of his NFL career in the 2023 campaign, carrying the ball 209 times in 15 games, rushing for 1,012 yards (the first 1,000-yard season of his career) and an NFL-best 18 rushing touchdowns.
The Chiefs, who allowed the second fewest points in the NFL during the regular season, are beatable in the ground game. The team allowed 4.5 yards per carry to opponents in the regular season, so the Dolphins may look to lean on Mostert and rookie running back De’Von Achane to attack Kansas City’s defense.
As for Waddle, he’s coming off another 1,000-yard regular season. The young wideout finished the regular season with 1,014 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 14 games.
After squandering the AFC East in the final two weeks of the regular season, the Dolphins would love to pull off an upset on Saturday to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
The team already lost to the Chiefs earlier this season in Germany, but this game will be much different given the cold weather and playoff atmosphere.
The Dolphins and Chiefs are scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 13.
