Dolphins at Chargers: Week 1 Fantasy Recap

Week 1 of the NFL season saw the Dolphins visit the Chargers at SoFi stadium. Both teams put on an offensive showcase, scoring a combined 70 points. Miami would be on the better side of that total, beating their opponents by a score of 36-34. 

Dolphins fantasy owners should be very happy as the high score provided a surplus of points. 

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa overshot his projection by double digits. His 27.14 fantasy points came off the back of a colossal stat line in which he passed for 466 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. 

This is Tua’s third best fantasy performance of his career. He exceeded this total twice last year- week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens (38.86 points) as well as week 8 against the Detroit Lions (29.18 points). 

Despite trending in the upwards direction, fantasy owners should remain cautious. With only a 1-week sample size, it is hard to determine whether or not this type of performance is now commonplace. 

Tua has yet to play an entire season and has often been injured. In an attempt to alleviate pressure from his quarterback, head coach Mike McDaniel could opt for a heavier running approach. This in turn could reduce Tua’s fantasy value, placing a heavier premium on the Dolphins’ running backs. 

The main recipient of Tua’s outstanding play on Sunday was none other than wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill amassed 33.5 fantasy points (standard) in what was one of his best ever performances for the Miami Dolphins. His stat line read 11 catches (13 targets) for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

Having declared earlier in the offseason his desire to eclipse the 2000-yard receiving mark, Hill is already more than 10 percent of the way there. This sort of performance will be hard to replicate on a week-by-week basis. Regardless, he will remain the number target for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. 

Hill’s receiving partner Jaylen Waddle had a small contribution this time around. The third year player made the most of his 5 targets, catching the ball 4 times for 78 yards. 

His 7.8 points (standard) will likely be his floor this season. Last year Waddle failed to score double digit points in ten of eighteen games. This by no means indicates a diminished role in the offense. Sunday against the Chargers, Waddle played 40 out of a possible 62 snaps, the most of any receiver on the Dolphins. 

Other Key Contributors

Running back Raheem Mostert scored 11 points (standard) on Sunday. He rushed for a modest 37 yards and 1 touchdown. Despite the low stat line, Mostert played 46 out of a possible 62 offensive snaps, far above RB 2 Salvon Ahmed who had seen the field only 17 times. If the Dolphins do decide to go more run heavy, it’ll be on the shoulders of Mostert. 

Another heavily featured player was tight end Durham Smythe. The sixth year player managed to score only 4.4 points (standard) but was targeted 7 times and caught the ball much better than expected. Aside from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Smythe was the only skill position player that had played all 62 offensive snaps. With the departure of tight end Mike Gesicki, perhaps we shall see a more ball-hungry Smythe in 2023.