Miami Dolphins fantasy football start and sit for week one
By Brian Miller
It is finally here, the first Miami Dolphins game of the 2022 season and that means it is time to think about your fantasy football teams as well.
Officially, fantasy football started on Thursday night with owners of Cooper Kupp, Josh Allen, and Stephon Diggs excited about this week’s outcome. On the other hand, those who drafted Cam Akers have to be disappointed when they realized that it was Henderson who is going to tote the rock.
From Dawson Knox showing up for his new contract with about 1.5 points across most formats, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the fantasy football world. Now, we get to see what the Miami Dolphins can do.
In years past, the Dolphins were a fantasy football afterthought. Wide receivers were for deeper leagues and bye-week fill-ins at best…including DeVante Parker. Running backs were a committee that held hopes of strong performances but quickly died off and were replaced on rosters with backups on other teams.
Now, has it changed? We will soon find out. This week you have reason to be excited about what the Dolphins can bring to your fantasy football team.
Tyreek Hill
Hill is the explosive receiver that the Dolphins thought they were getting with Brandon Marshall and Mike Wallace all those years ago. He has the speed and ability to blow open a game but can he blow open your fantasy head-to-head? He won’t hurt it.
This week, Hill matches up well with the Patriots and he will get his looks but if you want to get 20 plus from him this week, it won’t happen. In fact, you should be glad if he gets double-digits.
Why? Bill Belichick. Belichick is savvy when he game plans to take out a team’s top player and that is exactly what will happen on Sunday. Hill is going to get his shots and that alone makes him a worthy start.
Jaylen Waddle
Waddles will be Miami’s possession guy and not so much the downfield threat that Hill will be. He should start in all PPR leagues and 8 receptions plus is a good floor point for his week one production. Double-digit points should not be a problem for Waddle.
Mike Gesicki
This is a tough one to predict. If he is used in-line, he could produce good numbers that should equal out to around 10 and he could add a TD on his day. If you waited to take a TE late and missed on the top guys, Gesicki won’t make you completely upset and this week should do well against the Patriots. He is a good start this week as well.
Tua Tagovailoa
If you are starting Tua this week, you didn’t draft really well. Tua is a great addition to keep on your roster because if he excels in this system, he will be gone in all formats by week three. At worse, you dump him if he doesn’t make the forward progression. Regardless, you shouldn’t be starting Tua this week.
Chase Edmonds/Raheem Mostert/Myles Gaskin
That is the Dolphins running back by committee and while many FF players drafted Edmonds, his value should come later in the season when you FLEX play him or need a bye-week replacement.
Edmonds and Mostert are going to get reps but it is a toss-up to see which one will contribute more in the running game and who will get the passes out of the backfield. For now, unless you have to start one, you should wait to see how McDaniel is going to use them.
Jason Sanders
I was surprised to see how many passed on drafting Sanders. He has a strong leg, is accurate, and the Dolphins offense is good enough to drive the field and if they fall short of punching it in, Sanders will be the go-to. Honestly, I think Sanders is going to be a steal this year and in many leagues you can still find him on the free agent list.
This week, I would strongly consider playing him or even picking him up. The Patriots’ defense is good and Miami could be kicking field goals all day. 4 or 5 on Sunday isn’t out of the question.
Dolphins Defense
This is a smart play even with Byron Jones out of the picture. Miami is strong up front and should be able to keep the Patriots guessing. They should try and run the ball a lot and Miami’s pressure should be fast enough to keep Mac Jones moving.