The Miami Dolphins are a young team with the talent to become competitive in their division. Miami went 8-8 last season and they will no doubt be looking to improve that mark after adding a couple young players through the draft.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be coming into his third year as the Dolphins starter with hopes to take his squad to the postseason. With a wealth of talent at receiver and a couple young running backs behind him it looks like Tannehill may have the weapons necessary to make noise in the AFC East.
Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback
The Dolphins took Tannehill in the first round of the draft two years ago. Since then he has made strides forward to being a good starting quarterback in the NFL. Last season he through for 3,913 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. If the Dolphins want to make it further that their 8-8 record from last year he will definitely need to cut down on the amount of turnovers from last season. In a division with the New England Patriots the less opportunity you give them the better, plus they’ll need to keep the ball away from Tom Brady as much as they can. If he can cut down on the turnovers he should have a decent season fantasy wise.
Knowshon Moreno, Running Back
In 16 games last year Lamar Miller didn’t have the type of year fantasy owners look for in a running back. With only 700 rushing yards, 170 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns he didn’t do much for fantasy owners last year. On the opposite end of the spectrum Moreno had one of the best years fantasy wise of any other running back. Moreno rushed for over 1,000 yards, added over 500 receiving yards and totaled 13 touchdowns last season for the Denver Broncos. If he can replicate the best year of his career then he can no doubt be one of the top fantasy running backs once again.
Brian Hartline, Wide Receiver
Hartline was the Dolphins top receiver last year as he hauled in over 1,000 yards through the air. He’s gone over the 1,000 yard mark the for the past two years which is a good sign that him and Tannehill are on the same page. The only issue is that he only has five touchdowns in the last two years combined. Everyone with fantasy experience knows that yards are cool and yeah they get you points, but touchdowns is what really will get the points flowing. Hartline is a good option for third receiver/flex position in fantasy.
Mike Wallace, Wide Receiver
Wallace might actually be a better choice in fantasy over Hartline, especially with the edition of Jarvis Landry. Wallace is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL and a top playmaker for the Dolphins. Going back to his years with the Pittsburgh Steelers you see that he has had no problem finding the endzone. Last year with the Dolphins he tallied five touchdowns which was his lowest mark in his NFL career. Last season he didn’t get to 1,000 yards just 930, if he can get back to his form from 2010 and 2011 where he went over 1,000 yards in back to back seasons along with 18 touchdowns. Wallace can be one of the top receivers in fantasy this year he has a great opportunity to get back to the top of the fantasy rankings.
Charles Clay, Tight End
Clay had a good season last year but then again what NFL tight end didn't? It's the tight end era in the NFL now and Clay is taking full advantage. Last year he totaled a career high in yards with 759, receptions with 69, and touchdowns with six. Clay is coming into his fourth year with the Dolphins and in the NFL and is now one of Miami's top targets especially in the red zone. Remember what I said about touchdowns earlier? Well when they are in the red zone my money would be on Clay when they go to the air. He's bound to grab some touchdown catches if he stays healthy.
Biggest Fantasy Surprise: Landry Jones, Wide Receiver
Biggest Fantasy Disappointment: Brian Hartline, Wide Receiver
How the Schedule Impacts Miami’s Fantasy Options
The Dolphins have a couple tough appointments on their schedule this year spaced out throughout the season. They start off the season against the New England Patriots who are always in the playoffs and one of the best teams in the NFL. Just a week after that they play the Kansas City Chiefs who have proven to be one of the top defensive units in the league. I wouldn’t predict the Dolphins players to go crazy fantasy wise in these two games before the bye week.
They have that bye in week five but they'll have to play the Packers, Lions, Broncos, Jets (twice), Ravens, and Patriots again. With defensive units like these on your schedule it definitely won't be easy to put up high offensive numbers. However not easy and impossible are two different situations.
Yes the Dolphins have a tough schedule playing plenty of playoff caliber teams, but Miami’s young talented core is out to prove that they are a playoff caliber team as well. And guys like Mike Wallace and Knowshon Moreno have proven in the past that they can put up big numbers against the NFL’s best. All in all Moreno, Wallace, Clay, and Tannehill are in the position to become great fantasy players this year.