The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Miami Dolphins players heading into their matchup with the Atlanta Falcons to help you craft a winning lineup.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB
Consecutive three-interception games aren’t ideal in any circumstance, but if this were a Jameis Winston all-or-nothing game plan, I’d be willing to swallow the risk for the reward.
But it’s not.
Tua Tagovailoa has posted a sub-7.0 aDOT in both of those dreadful games, and without much in the way of playmakers, the ceiling outcome isn’t nearly enough to outweigh the tremendous risk.
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You could try to sell me on the weatherproof nature of this game, but there weren’t any issues in Week 6 at Los Angeles (three interceptions) or in the season opener at Indianapolis (114 passing yards and two interceptions).
Tagovailoa shouldn’t be starting for you in anything but two-QB formats where you’re locked into him without any sort of ability to move off of it — he might not be the man in Miami for long, even with a contract that extends through the 2028 season.
Not. Ideal.
De’Von Achane, RB
If you told me blindly that, entering a week, my running back would produce 44.7% of his team’s net yards and account for all of their touchdowns, I’d spend the majority of my time that week finding out creative ways to take out loans to bet on said player.
Unless he’s a Dolphin.
Miami was inept on the offensive end for essentially all 60 minutes in Cleveland last week. Achane continues to prove himself as a top-shelf talent, and that allowed him to turn 16 touches into 98 yards, but with this team rarely approaching scoring position, there’s only so much even a gifted running back can do.
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Maybe the fast track of Atlanta will help this week, but the down Achane weeks rarely have anything to do with Achane. The single-play upside means you have a starter in all formats, but entering the season, I thought Miami’s lead man was on the short list of players who could lead the position in scoring this season.
He’s not. He’s not close.
Ollie Gordon II, RB
At this point, I don’t think we can label Ollie Gordon as a great handcuff stash.
Not because the job isn’t his, but because the job might not matter.
Achane’s production is more the product of his individual greatness than the role itself. This offense was a disaster for much of Sunday, and there doesn’t appear to be a short-term answer.
Volume is valuable until it’s not. It would appear that we’ve crossed that threshold in Miami, and that has me looking for upside receivers instead of holding a back like Gordon, who needs an injury to have a prayer at maybe being a low-end flex.
Jaylen Waddle, WR
Jaylen Waddle cleared 15 PPR points in each of the first two games following the Tyreek Hill injury, but when Tagovailoa was asked to support him in anything less than ideal conditions, he vanished.
In the blowout loss, Waddle picked up 15 yards on his 25 routes, and we saw next to zero signs of life from this passing game.
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If you want to talk yourself into this being a weatherproof game and thus a spot to trust Waddle, go crazy. I like my mental stability, so I’m opting to look elsewhere when given the opportunity and have him ranked as a low-end WR3.
Only twice this season has a team seen a receiver score even a dozen PPR points against the Falcons, and Waddle doesn’t exactly fit the mold of those two instances (Emeka Egbuka in Week 1 and Deebo Samuel in Week 4).
Give me Worthy or Khalil Shakir over Miami’s WR1 this week: I’d rather bet on those quarterbacks and take my chances.
Darren Waller, TE
A pec strain kept Darren Waller out of the second half of Week 7 against the Browns and has since been placed on injured reserve.
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I believe that you ALWAYS use your IR slot when possible. It’s free, why wouldn’t you?
Outside of that, I’m not the least bit burning a roster spot on Waller. He’s no different than half a dozen streaming options, so when you factor in this injury and the limitations of the offense as a whole, there’s far more risk than projectable reward in this profile.
