Dolphins Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 6

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 08: Jay Ajayi #23 of the Miami Dolphins carries the ball in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans on October 8, 2017 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 08: Jay Ajayi #23 of the Miami Dolphins carries the ball in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans on October 8, 2017 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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It was another frustrating week for fantasy owners in Week 5. Will we finally see the offense get going in Week 6 at Atlanta?

The Miami Dolphins may have been able to come away with a win in their home opener against Tennessee, but it was yet another ugly performance by the offense. The Dolphins have become accustomed to getting off to slow starts, with the hope that they can turn it around sooner than later.

The good news is that Miami sits at 2-2 so they’re right in the thick of things. The offense, however, continues to disappoint. Despite the win, the offense totaled just 178 yards on Sunday, opening the door for fans to bring out the boo birds towards starting QB Jay Cutler. We’ll see how the offense responds after the latest scandal forced offensive line coach Chris Foerster to resign, but a turnaround must be made quickly.

It’s frustrating not only as a fan, but as a fantasy owner as well, since the Dolphins do have a bunch of playmakers on that side of the ball. They face a tough task this week going into Atlanta against the defending NFC champions. Let’s see who’s worth the risk starting in your lineups, and who’s better left on the bench.

Jay Cutler

This one is not even worth getting into.

Sit

Jay Ajayi

I’m on the fence over Ajayi at this point. On one side, the volume is there, as he saw over 25 touches on Sunday for the second time this year, but did not provide nearly the type of production we look for in an RB1. Of course, he’s not really to blame with the lackluster play of Cutler, and consistently getting hit behind the line of scrimmage.

Ajayi owners are growing impatient, however, as the third-year back has yet to record a touchdown this season. The Falcons have struggled against running backs thus far, and because of the volume, I can’t yet pull the trigger on benching him. With that said, there are better RB options this week, so if you’re deep at the position it’s worth a chance. Ajayi is an easy fade in DFS formats as well.

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Start

Jarvis Landry

Landry recorded a season low five receptions this past Sunday, but caught his first touchdown pass of the season, which turned out to be the game-winner. The offensive woes have prevented Landry from breaking out, but he’s still managed to provide a respectable floor for his owners. Landry already averages double-digit targets per contest, and that could increase against Atlanta with DeVante Parker possibly sitting out.

Start

DeVante Parker

In what appeared to be a dream matchup for Parker against the Titans was lost after Parker left the game with a sprained ankle on the opening possession, and did not return. His chances for playing this Sunday are slim as well, so owners may want to start now on searching for a plan B.

Sit

Kenny Stills

With Parker potentially missing on Sunday, one would think that would boost Stills’ fantasy stock for this week, but I’m not convinced. Parker missed practically the entire game on Sunday, but Stills was only able to reel in one reception on two targets. He gets a boost as a DFS option, but not in league play.

Sit

Julius Thomas

I had mentioned prior to the season that Thomas was likely only to become fantasy relevant as a touchdown dependent player inside the red zone. The problem is that the Dolphins are not getting to the red zone near enough. Through four games, Thomas has just four receptions for 86 yards. It’s safe to say at this rate that Thomas’ stint in Miami will be short-lived.

Sit

Defense

This is the first time that I’m bringing up the defense in my start/sit suggestions, and it’s because they’ve been playing well enough to warrant some interest. They are the reason that the Dolphins came out of Sunday with a victory, even if it was against Matt Cassel. Bottom line, they’ve played well even though they’ve been on the field for the majority of games. With that said, I don’t like the matchup in Atlanta against the high-powered offense of the Falcons. Miami’s defense is good enough to warrant some streaming options in particular matchups, but this is not one of them.

Sit