Miami Dolphins fantasy football start and sit for week 12

Ryan Tannehill is back, and it gives the entire offense a boost in fantasy football production, but should you start him on your lineup?

Ryan Tannehill will give a boost, even if it’s a small boost. The Dolphins do have a favorable matchup, however, against the Colts defense.

It was announced on Tuesday that QB Ryan Tannehill would return in week 12 against the Colts after missing the Miami Dolphins previous five games with a shoulder injury. The timing couldn’t be better for the Dolphins as they somehow still find themselves in a playoff race, and because Brock Osweiler has managed to look worse from week-to-week.

The Dolphins will still be heavy underdogs heading into Indianapolis to take on a very hot Colts team that has won four straight. This is essentially a playoff game for each team as both currently sit at 5-5, and are among a number of teams looking to grab that final Wild Card spot. Tannehill is not an elite level quarterback, but he does give the Dolphins the best opportunity to win, and this is a must-win type of game if they are to have any shot at the playoffs.

For fantasy owners, this is a good matchup to target. The Colts defense as a whole has improved, but they still remain a top choice to target against for fantasy production. Miami spent the bye week attempting to get healthy, but they still remain pretty banged up across the board. That should increase the volume for those playing though, boosting their value. Let’s take a look at which Dolphins players are worth adding in your lineups.

Ryan Tannehill

Tannehill is back under center, but how strong is that shoulder really? We likely won’t be able to tell until the game starts. There are only two teams on a bye this week, but it’s the two teams that just combined for 105 points this past Monday night. Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff have been two of the most elite fantasy quarterbacks this season. There’s a chance that if you have either of these guys you may not even have another quarterback on your roster.

It’s a streaming week for sure for those owners, but there are better recommendations to be had. Tannehill has seen his ownership slightly increase since the news broke that he would be starting. Yes, it’s a good matchup against the Colts, and I think he’ll probably get a couple of touchdowns, but his ceiling is capped while his floor is relatively low. There are at least four quarterbacks that come to mind that I would try to pick up first before even thinking about Tannehill. In no particular order, they are Jameis Winston, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and Dak Prescott. All four of those players are 50% owned or less in Yahoo leagues so it should be no trouble to get at least one.

Sit

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Running Backs

Miami’s running back situation is interesting heading into Sunday. Kenyan Drake suffered a shoulder injury in the Dolphins last game against the Packers. He did return to the game, but it has been ailing him, and evidently, he was wearing a no-contact jersey at practice on Tuesday. Now, the fact that he was practicing at all indicates that he will suit up on Sunday. It could mean that he is limited in the game, however. Maybe even more so than he already has been, if that is possible.

This is a revenge game for Frank Gore, who already looks to be the favorite back of head coach Adam Gase. Should Drake have a setback this week, and be forced to miss, Gore becomes a solid play against his old team. He’s already seeing double digit touches, and with the Dolphins thin at receiver, could be more involved in the passing game as well.

Two elite running backs in Todd Gurley and Kareem Hunt are on byes this week, so fantasy owners may be looking for a fill-in. Even if Drake does play, and I think he will, Gore is still not a bad option. He’s not my favorite play, but if you were unsuccessful in picking up Gus Edwards or Josh Adams off the waiver wire then I’d take a hard look at Gore this week.

Kenyan Drake – Sit

Frank Gore – Start

Wide Receivers

If there is one Dolphins player that loses fantasy value with the return of Ryan Tannehill, it’s Danny Amendola. With Brock Osweiler as the starter, Amendola was averaging 8.2 targets, 6.2 receptions, and 61 yards per game. He also had his lone touchdown of the year in week 7 against Detroit during that span. When Tannehill was the starter, Amendola saw just 4 targets, along with 3.2 receptions, and 30.2 yards per game.

Tannehill doesn’t have the arsenal that he had, however, before he went down. Both Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant are out for the year now. Kenny Stills still doesn’t look 100% healthy, and DeVante Parker remains questionable to play this week (shocker). The Dolphins signed Brice Butler this week, and Leonte Carroo was called up a few weeks ago, but there are not a lot of options for Tannehill to throw to. Him and Amendola had created some chemistry back in OTA’s and training camp, and they’ll likely have to redevelop that chemistry if the Dolphins want to move the football.

Danny Amendola – Start

DeVante Parker – Sit

Kenny Stills – Sit

Tight Ends

Many are already calling second round pick Mike Gesicki a bust. I’m not one that would go that far in the guy’s rookie season, but he’s far from the sleeper pick that some fantasy players hoped that he would be. In fact, his production has been more likely to put you to sleep than anything else.

Injuries to Jimmy Graham and O.J. Howard last week made an already thin tight end position even thinner, but I still don’t recommend streaming any Dolphins tight end for the rest of the season. If you’re desperate I’d suggest picking up Cameron Brate if you can or Jonnu Smith. Even Jimmy Graham with a broken thumb may be a better option than the Dolphins tight ends.

Sit

Defense

The Dolphins defense has played well against poor offenses, but the Colts are anything but a poor offense. On the road, this is expected to be a struggle for Miami’s defense similar to their struggles against New England and Houston earlier in the year. They may be worth an add looking ahead to next week at home against Buffalo, but they certainly are not worth a start this week lined up against Andrew Luck.

Sit

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