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    Dolphins Start-Sit: Week 8 Fantasy Advice for Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Tua Tagovailoa, and Others

    Here's all the fantasy football advice you need to determine whether you should start or sit these players on the Miami Dolphins.

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    The Miami Dolphins will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Dolphins skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.

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    Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

    Tua Tagovailoa, QB

    Tagovailoa was QB8 in the season-opening win over the Jaguars (338 passing yards, highlighted by an 80-yard Tyreek Hill touchdown) before getting injured in Week 2. The team has opened up his window to return to action, and the hope is that returns to play this week.

    There is no way to know exactly what Tagovailoa looks like, and that is why I’m going to be cautiously optimistic. Right now, I have him ranked as my QB15 against the worst per-pass defense in the league, a ranking that could shift up a few spots should we get positive reports from Adam Beasley in the coming days.

    De’Von Achane, RB

    The receivers are going to get the majority of the attention with Tua Tagovailoa returning to the field, but let’s not overlook the fact that Achane caught 14 passes in Tagovailoa’s two starts and has totaled just 12 since.

    In addition to the role in the passing game, an effective player running this offense stands to benefit Achane in a massive way. Compared to last season, his yards per carry before contact are down 46.8%, an impactful metric for any running back, but specifically one that can score from anywhere if he can get a little momentum.

    Last season, Achane produced 54.2% over expectations. He sits at negative 9.9% through seven weeks this season – there was always regression to build in from his rookie campaign, but a middle ground seems like a reasonable expectation once this offense returns to form. That puts Achane back into the RB1 conversation.

    Jaylen Wright, RB

    With this backfield at full strength, Wright was an afterthought in Week 7 (season-low 8.8% snap share), and that could prove to be a theme for the rest of the season.

    I’m not optimistic that he touches your starting lineup at any point the rest of the way, but I would hold through this week at the very least, understanding that the return of Tua Tagovailoa could come with wrinkles that are specific to him.

    Raheem Mostert, RB

    The veteran running back is the definition of a stash. Mostert has looked fine after missing a month (30 carries for 130 yards across two games), and with Tua Tagovailoa due back, his touchdown-scoring prowess could work him into Flex conversations as the season wears on.

    At the moment, however, I’m sitting tight. He lost a fumble last week, and there is some rust to be expected under center. That combination makes returning value a long shot. But is there a world in which, after this week, he is bordering on the top 30 at the position? I think it’s possible, if not likely, and with the Bills, Rams, and Raiders on the docket for Weeks 9-11, you could be rewarded for holding onto him sooner rather than later.

    Jaylen Waddle, WR

    Positive vibes only.

    I could tell you that Waddle’s last 50-yard game came in Week 1 or that his air-yard count hasn’t exceeded 34 yards in four of his past five, but this is a game we all love, and it’s much more fun when you leave an article with some hope, right?

    Waddle’s last 17 games with his QB1 making the start:

    • 118 targets
    • 83 catches
    • 1,195 yards
    • Four touchdowns

    Assuming that Tagovailoa gets through the week and enters the weekend as the projected starter, Waddle will rank as a starter in all formats for me, ahead of Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams.

    Tyreek Hill, WR

    I think I’ve used the “he hasn’t been a top-30 receiver since Week 1 stat” in three straight writeups. I’m nothing if not a man of consistency — so, yeah, safe to say that after Hill totaled 13 yards against the Colts, that streak remains alive.

    Instead of drilling down on the bad (at this point, you’ve made your decision — benching him is plenty viable should anyone whose name doesn’t rhyme with Blua Bagovailoa start), let’s call back the good times. In Hill’s last 17 games with at least eight targets from QB1:

    • 199 targets
    • 132 catches
    • 1,853 yards
    • 13 touchdowns

    It feels good to see numbers like that, doesn’t it? I aim to please — and we are getting close to your patience paying off.

    Arizona Cardinals at Miami Dolphins Game Insights

    Arizona Cardinals

    Team: Sunday will mark the final game of a four-game run that saw Arizona play in a different city in four straight weeks (they return home in Weeks 9-10 before going on bye in Week 11).

    QB: Kyler Murray entered October without a touchdown run longer than 22 yards in his career – he had a 50-yarder in Week 5 against the 49ers and added a 44-yarder to his resume on Monday night against the Chargers.

    Offense: James Conner was either handed the ball or targeted on 12 of Arizona’s first 25 plays from scrimmage on Monday night against the Chargers.

    Defense: No team in the NFL forces three-and-outs at a lower rate than the Cardinals this season.

    Fantasy: Conner has reached 100 scrimmage yards in three of his past four games and has at least 19 touches in five of seven. The usage is great, but it also comes with a warning – the next time Conner goes through an NFL season without missing multiple games will be his first.

    Betting: The Cardinals are just 2-6 ATS in their past eight games played on short rest.

    Miami Dolphins

    Team: By EPA, the Dolphins have the fourth worst special teams in the NFL through seven weeks (on the bright side, the bottom five is loaded with viable teams: Bills, Jets, Ravens, and 49ers).

    QB: Tua Tagovailoa might return this week, and that provides hope. However, let’s not forget that he has had multiple touchdown passes in just one of his past eight games (playoffs included).

    Offense: Remember when the Dolphins scored 70 points in Week 3 last season against the Broncos? They’ve put 70 points on the board this season.

    Defense: Just 2% of passes against the Dolphins have resulted in a touchdown, the lowest rate in the league.

    Fantasy: In Tyreek Hill’s last 17 games with at least eight targets from Tagovailoa:

    • 199 targets
    • 132 catches
    • 1,853 yards
    • 13 touchdowns

    Betting: The Dolphins are 0-3 ATS at home this season – they haven’t had a losing ATS season in front of their home fans since the 2015 team led by Ryan Tannehill and Lamar Miller.

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