There is almost never a dull moment when it comes to Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel when he's in front of a microphone. And on Wednesday, ahead of the Dolphins' Week 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, McDaniel again did not disappoint when talking in front of reporters.
Yet, fantasy football managers would likely disagree on McDaniel not disappointing.
Entering his fourth season as the Dolphins' head coach, McDaniel has mastered the art of saying a lot without saying anything at all. On Wednesday, when asked about rookie running back Ollie Gordon II, McDaniel babbled for a good minute before answering the question without actually doing so.
Mike McDaniel had a fun way of answering a question about Dolphins rookie RB Ollie Gordon II, a player of fantasy football interest ahead of the start of the season. 😂
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) September 3, 2025
(🎥 Miami Dolphins) pic.twitter.com/VhYww2lXVX
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel leaves fantasy football managers hanging on with Ollie Gordon II comments
McDaniel picked up right away that the question was a potential fantasy football question.
After all, Gordon is an interesting player for fantasy heading into the 2025 season. With running back Jaylen Wright out for a few weeks and having a strong offseason, there is potential for Gordon to have a strong start for fantasy managers early on.
And with starter De'Von Achane returning to practice just this week, Gordon could see several more opportunities than originally anticipated just a month ago.
Even prior to Wright's injury, Gordon was outplaying the former Tennessee Volunteer, and the fantasy football community had taken notice. Now, he could keep a stranglehold as Miami's primary backup with a strong start. And if anything were to happen to Achane, Gordon would become the team's frontrunner for RB1.
That thought has not gone unnoticed by several fantasy players, which has led to Gordon's fantasy value skyrocketing in recent weeks and his draft stock being all over the place. In my own fantasy draft this past weekend, Gordon went off the board early in the ninth round, which was just a wee too early for my liking despite having my eye on him.
However, if he performs at a similar level as he did in the preseason and gets the opportunities, this could look like a steal halfway through the fantasy season.
Still, McDaniel isn't giving anything away for now (nor should he).
"He'll have zero plays or all the plays, zero yards or all the yards -- or somewhere in between."
It's a response we've come to expect from McDaniel. One that uses humor to win over the room, but also does not answer the question if he feels it would give the opponent an advantage in any way.
In similar fashion, when asked about tight end Darren Waller earlier at the podium, he responded, "We're only going to use him as a blocker, so tell the Colts that," reported the Sun Sentinel's David Furones.
Nevertheless, McDaniel did get serious when talking about Gordon.
"I've seen a lot of growth. I think that's one of the guys that took advantage of an inopportune health situation and position, and that opportunity allowed for him to succeed," he said.
Gordon has shown a lot of growth in one short offseason. Dolphins fans and the coaching staff optimistically may already feel like they got a steal in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
With no help from McDaniel in his press conference, though, Gordon fantasy managers will still need to wait and see if the young rookie is a steal for them.