Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill, after fire at home, and Jaylen Waddle not at Thursday practice

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was not with the team for its Thursday practice after leaving Wednesday drills early to attend to his Southwest Ranches house that was on fire.

Hill has also been playing through an ankle injury that kept him out of the Dec. 17 game against the New York Jets. In television footage of Hill outside his burning home, he was in a walking boot. The team’s Wednesday injury report listed his limited participation in practice as due to “ankle/personal,” with the same two reasons given for his “did not practice” designation Thursday.

The Wednesday afternoon fire was caused by a child playing with a lighter, officials said Thursday. The fire began in the bedroom, where the child was playing, according to Davie Fire Marshal Bob Taylor, and was ruled accidental. Family members were home at the time, but no one was injured.

Hill is the NFL’s leading receiver with a career-high 1,717 yards and 12 touchdowns on 112 receptions. The standout wideout in his second season with the Dolphins was also named to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday night, earning him the honor for each of his first eight professional seasons.

The Dolphins, who have already clinched a playoff berth, have their regular-season finale Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. The game will determine the AFC East champion and No. 2 seed in the conference’s playoff picture.

Although Hill didn’t practice Thursday, he seems more likely to play Sunday’s game than fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who did not participate again in Thursday’s practice.

Waddle, who has 1,014 receiving yards on the season, is nursing a high ankle sprain that caused him to leave the Dec. 24 win over the Dallas Cowboys early and miss last Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Waddle was around the team during a stretching period to start practice on Thursday, but he quickly went inside with a trainer and was not seen returning for positional drills, officially deemed a non-participant on the injury report for a second straight day.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that Waddle participated in a light walkthrough ahead of the Wednesday practice. The coach added Waddle had follow-up work with trainers later Wednesday to see if he could handle it without any setbacks on the ankle for practice reps later in the week. McDaniel did not address the media Thursday and is next scheduled to speak with reporters before Friday drills.

Along with the star receiving duo, running back Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee) missed practice Thursday after also missing Wednesday drills. The same goes for cornerback Xavien Howard, who is not expected to be available against the Bills due to a foot injury suffered in the first quarter last Sunday in Baltimore.

The Dolphins, offensively, were without Waddle and Mostert for the loss to the Ravens. The two playmakers have combined for 2,213 total yards this season.

“It’s not like we drastically go, ‘Well, we can’t do this or do that it,'” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Thursday. “It just makes us have to know, with certain variables, where we maybe move guys in different spots or have a different concept that someone does maybe a little bit better if they’re going to be potentially up in their place.”

Possibly without Howard for Sunday against Buffalo, the Miami defense already has to replace outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Left tackle Terron Armstead (knee/ankle/back) returned to practice Thursday, in limited fashion. The Dolphins, along with the five non-participants, had 10 players limited on their Thursday injury report, while the Bills had just one — safety Damar Hamlin (shoulder).

Fangio reacts

Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio answered for the 56 points allowed to the Ravens on Sunday.

“We had some execution problems,” he said Thursday. “I think one of the biggest problems was I just didn’t call a good enough game, really. … The calls didn’t work out.”

While Fangio has a decision to make on whether to shadow Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, it appears he’s at least sticking with the same trio of cornerbacks, assuming Howard can’t play Sunday.

When Howard exited against the Ravens, Eli Apple entered in the nickel package as the boundary cornerback with Kader Kohou covering the slot, like Kohou would when Howard and Jalen Ramsey are starting.

“I think that’s the way we’ll move going forward,” Fangio said of sticking with the same group, instead of giving Nik Needham or Cam Smith an opportunity.

“Eli, recently, has played better than he did earlier in the season. He’s a veteran. There’s know-how. He knows his limitations, knows who he’s covering. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of whatever we’re playing and does a good job adjusting.”

Fangio added of what Smith needs to do better: “Just improve in all areas — assignment, technique, execution, know-how. Just a little bit in all areas.”

Fangio didn’t shadow Diggs with Howard when it was he and Kohou starting Oct. 1 in the 48-20 loss to the Bills. Fangio doesn’t usually do it, but he did against the Jets when Howard was out and it was Ramsey on New York’s Garrett Wilson.

“They handled it well that day,” Fangio said. “I think if we want to do it again, I think they’ll handle it well again.”

Inside linebacker Jerome Baker is working to return off injured reserve from a knee injury, resuming practice Wednesday. Fangio, speaking before practice, said Baker’s activity in Thursday drills would be key in determining whether he can play.

“That would help,” Fangio said of having the veteran back after Duke Riley has replaced him. “We’d be able to have a better three-man rotation in there with him, David (Long Jr.) and Duke, and it would help, for sure. Bake’s a good player. We’ve missed him.”