Three Miami Dolphins to avoid in fantasy football drafts

The defense

The Miami Dolphins defense is beyond improved going into 2020. The additions of Van Noy and Jones give head coach Brian Flores the flexibility to play any type of alignment and coverage that he wants. The added talent in the front seven will help Miami be at least competent on defense.

From a fantasy perspective, the Dolphins defense is a huge gamble. Miami will be putting their faith in a whole lot of young players who haven’t had a real off-season to learn from their coaching staff. This defense will keep teams from going on scoring outbursts, but will not put out the big plays that are valuable from a fantasy perspective.

Interceptions and sacks are the name of the game when it comes to fantasy football. The Dolphins absolutely have the potential to rack up interceptions with the ball-hawking Xavien Howard on the back end. However, the starting nickel corner is Noah Igbinoghene, a rookie who is supremely talented, but ultimately very raw. On the other side, Byron Jones is an absolute shutdown corner, but has no ball skills. On the front end, Flores preaches team rush and gap discipline. This formula leads to more pressures than sacks. Also, if the offense fails to get going, opposing teams playing with leads will run the ball, limiting opportunities for sacks and interceptions.

Miami’s defense has value in the fantasy world, but not as a defense you use a draft pick on. Is the Dolphins defense an interesting option if your defense is on a bye and Miami is playing a team like the Jets? Sure, they could get you through a week, but you should probably stick with New England and San Francisco on draft day.