The status of Tyreek Hill is all of a sudden a top storyline entering Sunday's Week 8 game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
The veteran wide receiver didn't practice Wednesday because of a hip injury.
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Hill has been the NFL's best wide receiver through seven weeks, so it goes without saying that his absence would be a massive setback to the Dolphins offense Sunday.
He leads the league in receiving yards with 902, which is 93 more than A.J. Brown in second place. Hill also tops all pass-catchers with seven receiving touchdowns and ranks No. 3 in receptions with 53. He already has four games of 150-plus receiving yards, and he has found the end zone in every game except Miami's Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Hill is not only super productive, he's pretty unique. He's arguably the fastest player in the league and runs route as well as any wideout. He creates separation and gets open at an elite level.
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Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did a good job explaining what Hill brings each week and why no one else can replicate it.
“I don’t think anyone can emulate what Tyreek does on the field,” Tagovailoa told reporters in a press conference Wednesday. “His speed, his cuts in and out of breaks — I don’t think there’s anyone that can emulate him. He’s in his own league. He’s one of a kind. But needless to say, I think people forget about the things that Jaylen Waddle can do, the things that he already has done for our team since his rookie year, and there’s a lot of other guys I think that you can’t sleep on.
“If we couldn’t have Tyreek, that would be tough, but the show goes on. You’ve got to continue to play. Somewhere down the line, we’re going to get Tyreek back, and it has to be one of those things where you never lift your foot off the gas and you don’t lose that rhythm as a team or as a unit.”
The Patriots actually did a nice job defending Hill in Week 2. Hill did find the end zone in the Dolphins' 24-17 win at Gillette Stadium, but he was held to a season-low 40 yards on just five catches. Hill has actually failed to reach 100 receiving yards in each of his last six games against the Patriots.
If Hill doesn't play this week, the Patriots can devote more attention to Waddle, who is a very good wideout but also has battled injuries this season.