X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Miami Dolphins: 2015 Fantasy Football Analysis and Team Outlook

Every so often an NFL team will make the conscious decision to splurge on fresh talent in the offseason. The Miami Dolphins definitely fit that category, as they seem to have made the most noise by a mile.

It might have started on the defensive side of the ball by signing free agent Ndamukong Suh but the majority of personnel changes took place within the offense. Between wide receiver DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills, as well as tight end Jordan Cameron, this is now an offense with a ton of weapons that could be poised for a major breakout in the upcoming season.

Editor’s Note: If you’re looking for a new, awesome, highly customizable and free option for year-round commissioner & dynasty leagues, something more capable than Yahoo, better looking than CBS, and built from the ground up with fantasy football in mind, play free fantasy football with our friends at Fleaflicker. Sign up your league on Fleaflicker, and get a Full Season Premium Subscription for FREE.

 

Offseason Acquisitions: WR DeVante Parker, WR Kenny Stills, WR Greg Jennings, TE Jordan Cameron, RB Jay Ajayi

No Longer on the Roster: WR Mike Wallace, WR Brian Hartline, WR Brandon Gibson, TE Charles Clay, RB Knowhon Moreno

 

Quarterback

It’s always seemed like Ryan Tannehill has been the forgotten quarterback of the 2012 NFL draft. Obviously Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson have received the bulk of the attention but even the likes of Kirk Cousins and Nick Foles have been mentioned in the media more often than Tannehill. He’s never been a flashy or popular player, yet he managed to put together a productive fantasy season in 2014, finishing the year with 4,045 yards and 27 touchdowns. Tannehill ended up being the ninth best fantasy quarterback, with just one fantasy point fewer than Tom Brady and ahead of guys like Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton.

Not only was 2014 Tannehill’s best statistical year to date, but his numbers have actually improved in each of his first three seasons. His increased production in conjunction with his new-found weapons is why he’s being talked up as a trendy sleeper in 2015. The loss of Mike Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings was instantly negated when the team acquired Kenny Stills and drafted rookie DeVante Parker. Add another year of Jarvis Landry and an arguable upgrade at tight end in Jordan Cameron, and Tannehill's collection of weapons looks pretty good.

The two most popular sleeper picks at the quarterback position have been Tannehill and Eli Manning, with both players rounding out the top 12 in most fantasy rankings. If you decide to wait on a quarterback, Tannehill is the perfect option as the 11th or 12th guy off the board. If you’re in a shallow league, why not pair him with Tom Brady during Brady’s suspension and use one of them as trade bait? With improving numbers and a budding offense that gives him some added upside, there’s no reason to expect any regression from Tannehill.

 

Wide Receivers

The Dolphins revamped their entire receiving corps in the off season and will likely send out some sort of combination of Landry, Parker, Stills, and Greg Jennings in Week 1. I’m not sure if any NFL team has ever produced a whopping four fantasy-relevant wide receivers in one season, but there’s a good chance this offense will end up netting us at least two.

Jarvis Landry finished 2014 with 758 yards and five touchdowns, but the most impressive aspect of his game was his reception total. Landry ended the year with 84 catches, tied for the 17th most in the NFL. Those numbers might not have netted him a top-30 season in standard scoring but they were good enough to make him the 28th-best fantasy receiver in PPR formats. That’s about where he ranks heading into this season, and rightfully so. He should be viewed as a low-end WR3/flex play with an added boost in PPR.

As for DeVante Parker, the Dolphins selected him with the 14th-overall pick in the 2015 draft. That made him the third wide receiver taken, which came as a bit of a surprise since the team had already traded for Kenny Stills at that point. Parker underwent foot surgery back in July but has reportedly been recovering well. It’s expected that Parker will likely miss the entirety of the pre-season yet the Dolphins have stressed he doesn’t need to play in August in order to see the field in Week 1. You can probably select Parker fairly late in your draft and stash him on your bench until he shows us he can produce. Ultimately, his role in the offense will be determined by his health and whether or not he can outplay Kenny Stills.

Speaking of Kenny Stills, he left a declining New Orleans offense to become the primary deep threat in the steadily-improving Miami offense. Stills is expected to replicate Mike Wallace’s role in the offense as the big play option. That should bode well for him when you consider the fact that Landry is more of a possession receiver.

Similar to DeVante Parker, Stills has had to deal with offseason injury woes of his own (he’s been nursing a calf injury). The starting job might come down to whichever of the two is able to get healthy first. I believe both Stills and Parker have WR2 potential and would target either of them late in a draft. This is a team that threw the ball 595 times last season, the 12th-most in the NFL, so there should be plenty of targets to go around. Unfortunately we aren’t going to know which player will be the better option for some time. Both guys should be treated as lottery tickets that would simply be an added bonus to your fantasy team. If either one works out, great. If not, you didn’t invest too much anyway.

Sadly, I don’t think Greg Jennings has anything significant left in the tank. He hasn’t had a truly productive year since 2011 when he had 949 yards and nine touchdowns, but that’s when he had Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball. With three young receivers to compete with, Jennings is likely just there as a veteran presence in the locker room and would only become fantasy relevant if someone got injured.

 

Running Backs

Lamar Miller is the perfect example of a post-hype sleeper. A few short seasons ago, Miller was regarded as the perfect sleeper candidate on a Miami team desperate for a potent ground game. It didn’t materialize as early as we hoped, and as soon as people started giving up on him he turned into a dependable fantasy running back in 2014. Granted, Knowshon Moreno getting injured and failing to produce when healthy certainly increased Miller’s value. Nevertheless, he has finally emerged as a high-end RB2 candidate with an even higher ceiling.

Miller’s 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns were enough to put him into the top-10 fantasy running backs. He finished ninth among all RBs and is ranked in the 11-15 range heading into the upcoming season. It’s a fair ranking when you consider the amount of uncertainty at the position. There’s been some chatter that head coach Joe Philbin wants to get Miller more involved in the offense, which is always a positive sign. Whether that means more carries or increasing his role in the passing game remains to be seen, but keep in mind this is already a crowded offense. There’s only so much they can do to get all of these players involved. That being said, I don’t have a problem taking Miller as my RB2 in the third or fourth round, as he could easily repeat his performance from last season.

 

Tight Ends

As you probably know, the Miami Dolphins brought in free agent Jordan Cameron as their new starting tight end. Cameron showed flashes of brilliance during his time in Cleveland, putting up monster performances despite sub-par quarterback play. His best season came in 2013 when he racked up 917 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. Cameron is a tremendously talented athlete who is an automatic upgrade over Charles Clay, but he’s always had health concerns. He’s never played a full season in his four-year career so I’m hesitant to call him a lock to be a TE1. Still, Ryan Tannehill is probably the best quarterback he’s ever played with, and with such a shallow talent pool at tight end Cameron is worth a flier for those who like to wait on the position. Just be wary of the fact that there’s a good chance he misses some games.

 

Rookies

There was some initial chatter about rookie running back Jay Ajayi challenging Damien Williams and LaMichael James for backup duties, but that has since died down. He’s currently dealing with a hamstring issue so I wouldn’t worry about him cluttering up the running back depth chart anytime soon.

 

Summary

I’m not quite ready to put the Miami Dolphins in the same category as the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and Pittsburgh Steelers as far as fantasy relevance is concerned, but they’re getting close. This is a team that has the potential to be one of the better squads in the NFL--it’s just a matter of trying to get all the moving parts working in unison.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Alexander Romanov

Islanders Retain Alexander Romanov on $50 Million Contract
Andrei Kuzmenko

Signs Up for One More Year with Kings
Morgan Geekie

Signs Long-Term Extension with Bruins
Ivan Provorov

Stays in Columbus on Seven-Year Deal
Alex Pietrangelo

Stepping Away From Golden Knights for Health Reasons
Matias Maccelli

Maple Leafs Bring in Matias Maccelli
Evan Bouchard

Inks $42 Million Contract with Oilers
Vladimir Tarasenko

Wild Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko From Detroit
Patrick Kane

Signs New One-Year Deal with Red Wings
Brad Marchand

Lands Six-Year Extension
Aaron Ekblad

Remains a Panther on Eight-Year Deal
Mitchell Marner

Heads to Vegas
Randy Arozarena

Homers Twice, Plates Four Monday
Shea Langeliers

Hits Three-Run Homer In Return From Injured List Monday
Wilyer Abreu

Belts Grand Slam and Hits Inside-the-Park Home Run
Philadelphia 76ers

Trendon Watford Lands in Philadelphia
Jordan Clarkson

Expected to Sign With Knicks
Zack Wheeler

Tosses Eight Shutout Innings, Punches Out 10
Santi Aldama

Remains with Grizzlies
Atlanta Hawks

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Lands in Atlanta
George Springer

Exits Early Monday With Neck Injury
Jalen Ramsey

Could Move Around in Pittsburgh
Los Angeles Clippers

Brook Lopez Strikes Deal With Clippers
Jonnu Smith

to be Used in Hybrid Role
Terry McLaurin

Commanders, Terry McLaurin Not Close on Contract Extension
Hunter Goodman

Likely Headed to Injured List
Chicago Bulls

Tre Jones Remaining in Chicago
Michael Mayer

Raiders Not Interested in Trading Michael Mayer
Houston Rockets

Dorian Finney-Smith Signing With Rockets
Trent Grisham

Exits With Hamstring Tightness
Atlanta Hawks

Caris LeVert Joining Pistons
Milwaukee Bucks

Kevin Porter Jr., Bucks Reach Agreement on a New Contract
Brooklyn Nets

D'Angelo Russell Heading to Dallas
Denver Nuggets

Bruce Brown Jr. Heading Back to Denver
Atlanta Hawks

Clint Capela Returning to Houston
Cameron Johnson

Traded to Denver
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Signs Massive Extension
Michael Porter Jr.

Traded to Brooklyn
Matt Chapman

Could Return for Start of Giants Homestand
Wyatt Langford

Expected to Return on Saturday
Yanquiel Fernández

Yanquiel Fernandez Called Up to Majors
Tyler Mahle

Dealing With Rotator-Cuff Strain
Brooklyn Nets

Ziaire Williams Expected to Return to Nets
Austin Wells

to Miss Next Two Games
Tre Mann

Set to Become an Unrestricted Free Agent
Bo Bichette

Scratched With Sore Knee
Cody Martin

to Enter Free Agency
Los Angeles Clippers

Nicolas Batum Staying with Clippers
Jurickson Profar

to Return on Wednesday
Jordan Clarkson

Jazz Finalize Contract Buyout for Jordan Clarkson
Aldrich Potgieter

Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic
Thorbjorn Olesen

Finishes Tied for 41st at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Denny McCarthy

Finishes Tied For 12th at Travelers Championship
Chris Kirk

Finishes Tied For Second at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Michael Kim

Finishes Tied for 26th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Max Homa

Misses Cut at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Lucas Glover

Finishes Tied For Ninth at Travelers Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied For Sixth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooklyn Nets

Day'Ron Sharpe Staying with Nets
Colby Thomas

Called Up From Triple-A
Shea Langeliers

A's Reinstate Shea Langeliers From Injured List
Pittsburgh Steelers

Rumors Still Swirling Around Potential T.J. Watt Trade
Bryce Harper

Activated and Starting on Monday
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Lands on Injured List With Fractured Ribs
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Tyler Boyd

Interested in Playing for Steelers
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Now Looking to Acquire a Tight End
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
L'Jarius Sneed

Says he's Healthy
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick

Heading Back to Miami
Jonnu Smith

Shipped to Pittsburgh
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Steelers Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Kerry Carpenter

Leaves Game with Apparent Hamstring Injury
Jonas Brodin

Expected to Miss Start of Next Season
TB

Conor Sheary Placed on Waivers for Contract Termination
Dante Fabbro

Stays with Blue Jackets on Four-Year Deal
Joel Hofer

Commits to Blues for Two More Years
Kevin Bahl

Signs Long-Term Extension with Flames
Oneil Cruz

Smacks Two Homers
Jordan Spence

Traded to Ottawa
Petr Mrazek

Heads to Anaheim
John Gibson

Red Wings Acquire John Gibson
Matthew Knies

Inks Six-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Aaron Judge

Blasts Two Homers, Dealing With Back Issue
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
NFL

NFL Won't Hold Supplemental Draft This Year
Damon Arnette

Getting Second Chance With Texans
Deommodore Lenoir

Arrested for Obstruction of Justice
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Make Second-Year Jump
Jalin Hyatt

Looking to Flip the Script in 2025
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
Ty Dillon

Could Benefit from Kaulig Speed
Dylan Sampson

Being Used as a Receiver
Carson Schwesinger

Figures to be in Full-Time Role in 2025
Cedric Tillman

Should Have Full-Time Role
Bryce Young

Looking More Comfortable, Showing More Intensity
Aaron Rodgers

Roman Wilson Could Fit Nicely With Aaron Rodgers
Charles Oliveira

Can Become A Two-Time Lightweight Champion
Ilia Topuria

A Favorite At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fourth Title Defense At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Renato Moicano

Returns At UFC 317
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC 317
Payton Talbott

Looks To Bounce Back
Felipe Lima

Set To Open Up UFC 317 Main Card
Michael Thorbjornsen

Returns in Detroit at Rocket Classic
Adam Hadwin

Could Struggle Over the Weekend in Detroit
Cam Davis

Hopes Detroit Magic Can Spark Turnaround
Matt Wallace

a Boom-or-Bust Option at Rocket Classic
Joel Dahmen

Not Cutting it Lately
Michael Kim

Searching for Spark at Rocket Classic
Rasmus Hojgaard

a High-Ceiling Play in Rocket Classic
Matt McCarty

a Wild Card Heading into Detroit
Emiliano Grillo

Rolling into the Summer Season
Rickie Fowler

Looking for More Magic at Rocket Classic
Wyndham Clark

Brings High Upside to Detroit Golf Club
Max Greyserman

Could Make Noise at Rocket Classic
Akshay Bhatia

a Strong Value Play at Rocket Classic
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF