Miami Dolphins vs. NY Jets: Fantasy matchups

The Miami Dolphins travel to London to play the New York Jets for their fourth regular season game. Remember Fins fans, the game is schedule to kick off at 9:30am on Sunday, so be sure to set your alarm accordingly. The Dolphins have had a very disappointing start to the 2015 season, but still have time to redeem themselves. A great way to get started would be to put a solid showing together against the menacing NY Jets. The game could end up being a defensive battle, but lets take a look at some of the key fantasy matchups.

Ryan Tannehill vs. Jets Defense

Tannehill has been an above average fantasy QB thus far into the 2015 NFL season. This week, he’ll face an elite NY Jets defense, filled with talent across the board. As far as secondaries go, this will be Tannehill’s biggest test yet. According to ESPN standard fantasy scoring, Tannheill is averaging 16.3 points per game. Look for Tannehill to spread the ball around to keep the Jets secondary on their toes. I would expect a lot of crossing and underneath drag routes to open up holes in the defense. As far as projections go, I would expect a conservative 12-14 point game from Tannehill, who may have to use his legs a little more than usual to beat this potent Jets defense.

Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews, & Jordan Cameron vs Jets Secondary

Jarvis “Juice” Landry has been solid thus far into the season. He’s been a consistent threat to opposing defenses and has learned to utilize his superior quickness to beat defenders off the ball. I would expect a solid 12 point game from Juice, who will obviously be more valuable in PPR formats. After all, someone has to be productive on the Dolphins offense, right?

On the other end of the spectrum, Rishard Matthews, who began the season as the #4 receiver, has become Tannehill’s second main source of production in the passing game. He’s put together two consecutive 100 yard games together, but this short streak may come to an end agains the Jets. Matthews is a big receiver with a ton of athletic ability. However, against a Jets secondary that boasts Revis and Cromartie, temper your expectations for the young playmaker. As far as standard fantasy goes, you better bank on Matthews catching another touchdown this week. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matthews held to less than 5 points.

Jordan Cameron came to the Fins to not only be Tannehill’s security blanket, but to also be a big redzone target. Unfortunately for Fins fans and Cameron fantasy owners, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. Coming into week 4 against the Jets, Cameron is the #20 overall ranked fantasy TE on ESPN and is averaging a paltry 4.7 ppg. Against a Jets defense with hard hitting linebackers and an up-and-coming Safety in Calvin Pryor, the chances of Jordan getting into the endzone this week are slim. To give a projection, I would be surprised to see Cameron end the day with more than 5-6 points in standard leagues.

Lamar Miller vs Jets Run Defense

Well, well, if it isn’t another disappointment on the Dolphins offense. Lamar Miller was supposed to be the feature back in 2015. He was also projected to be a 1,000 rusher and a top 12 fantasy RB by most experts. However, thus far into the season, Miller has averaged 5 fantasy ppg and is currently ranked as the #46 overall RB on ESPN standard scoring formats. Against a top 10 fantasy run defense, don’t expect too many positives out of the “feature” Miami running back when they play the Jets this week. As far as fantasy goes, pray he catches some balls out of the backfield and is able to make some magic happen. If not, another 5-7 point performance seems to be in the works.

Dolphins Defense/ST vs Jets Offense

The Dolphins defense has been bad. It’s really that simple. Aside from a solid (14 points) opening fantasy performance agains the Cousins-led Redskins, the Fins defense has put together two straight negative point outings. One of them, against the Jaguars of all teams. Simply embarrassing, but I digress. The Dolphins defense actually has a decent shot at getting themselves together and playing well against a Jets offense led by none other than the bearded master himself, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Prone to making poor decisions late in games, Fitzpatrick won’t have it easy agains the desperate Dolphins D/ST. I expect a ton of pressure to come from Suh and Wake, who are itching to prove themselves worthy of the offseason top 10 defense hype. To give a fantasy projection, don’t be too worried about starting this unit in week 4. The Dolphins Defense/ST should play well enough to garner a decent, 8-10 point outing.

While fantasy football is generally focused on the glamorous positions like QB, RB, and WR, this week may be the week of Dolphins Kicker, Andrew Franks. He missed one costly field goal against the Jaguars, but should bounce back against the Jets. When all is said and done, Franks could easily be the Dolphins top fantasy performer. While Fins fans hope this isn’t the case, it may unfortunately be the reality.