The start of the season was a disaster for the Miami Dolphins, leaving many to wonder what happened to their high-powered offense. This poor showing has created significant panic for fantasy football managers who invested heavily in their players. Deciding whether to start, sit, or trade assets from this offense is now a major weekly challenge. We will break down the key members of the Dolphins to help you navigate this difficult situation.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB
Magic is amazing, right?
When grandpa first pulls a nickel out of your ear, you’re amazed. You get older, learn how it’s done, and what once rocked your world no longer moves the needle.
Then you get onto social media and see these crazy illusionists and card cheats that can seemingly do anything.
Train an algorithm long enough — though I wouldn’t know firsthand — and you’ll eventually stumble onto a “how-to” page for this kind of thing. That’s when the shine starts to wear off.
That’s far too many words to get into the Tua Tagovailoa thing, but I think you see where I’m going with this.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) July 26, 2024
All the bells and whistles looked great when we first saw it, but it’s now stale. The NFL is a sharp league, and they’ve caught up. The Greatest Show on Surf is now less entertaining than ‘The Smurfs’ (shoutout to people of a certain age who remember those goofy blue guys).
Tagovailoa shouldn’t be near fantasy lineups right now, not with the depth at the position. He’s traditionally done well in this matchup (last three home meetings: 69.5% complete with eight touchdowns and just one interception), but that’s more of a storytelling note than a predictive one.
I do not doubt that Tagovailoa will catch lightning in a bottle at some point this season. I’m also sure that Darius Slayton will make a few big plays for the Giants, but asking me to pinpoint those occurrences, understanding that the risk outweighs the reward, isn’t a good use of my time.
Pick up a more consistent quarterback, and if you can’t find one, at least roll the dice on someone with mobility in their profile.
De’Von Achane, RB
My goodness, you did get bailed out if you started De’Von Achane last week!
The Dolphins were getting ready to tap out against the Colts, but they salvaged a shred of integrity by avoiding a shutout, and Achane was the beneficiary.
Don’t get me wrong, he worked hard to get into the end zone on that fourth-down play, and he’s an ultra-gifted player, but the environment is nearing toxic, and you can only extract so much value from situations like that.
READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
Tagovailoa picked apart the Patriots last November (317 yards and four touchdowns), a performance that Achane helped make possible with two touchdowns. This feels like ancient history at this point, and with New England allowing the second-fewest yards per carry before contact to running backs in Week 1, how confident can you be in Achane returning RB1 value again?
He’s my RB15 this week, and that’s more of a nod to his raw abilities than anything my numbers like about the situation he’s a part of.
Ollie Gordon II, RB
Ollie Gordon’s name was as popular as any in the late stages of draft season, but he was out-snapped at nearly a three-to-one clip in the season opener by Achane.
We weren’t sure about the health of Achane as Week 1 approached, but once it became clear that he was good to go, a limited role that doesn’t hold standalone value behind him is roughly what we expected.
𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮: Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon was named top RB on National squad in vote from LB & DS position groups at Practice Player-of-the-Week awards ceremony today at 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/w7bTgxgDp1
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) January 31, 2025
Things are messy in Miami right now, and that’s exactly why I’d hold Gordon. I’m not sure who is on this team by Halloween if they play like they did on Sunday a few more times, and that could open up opportunities for a handful of new names, Gordon’s being atop that list.
But as things stand right now, you’re talking about a clear backup running back on a team that was lucky to score in Week 1. Gordon is a stash and nothing more.
Jaylen Waddle, WR
Week 1 in Indianapolis was a dumpster fire for the Dolphins and, to be honest, that feels disrespectful to dumpster fires.
Jaylen Waddle caught four of five targets, a level of efficiency that you’d expect with a 4.4-yard aDOT, but the shine appears to be off of this system, as he did well to pick up the 30 yards he did.
You could argue that this matchup is a get-right spot for Waddle, and, in theory, I don’t hate the call. The Pats were the worst defense by passer rating on short passes, and that’s exactly how Waddle was utilized on Sunday. It’s also how he has burned them in the past:
Career game log vs. Patriots, (Tagovailoa Starts)
- Week 1, 2021: 4 catches on 5 targets for 61 yards, TD
- Week 18, 2021: 5 catches on 7 targets for 27 yards, TD
- Week 1, 2022: 4 catches on 5 targets for 69 yards, TD
- Week 2, 2023: 4 catches on 6 targets for 86 yards
- Week 8, 2023: 7 catches on 12 targets for 121 yards, TD
- Week 12, 2024: 8 catches on 9 targets for 144 yards, TD
That was all “in theory.” In practice, I’m not sure I have the courage to act on any of that. If you want Miami exposure, try a contrarian DFS build. Still, in a season-long setting, this team as a whole (outside of Achane) is at the “prove it to me” level of concern, and I’m not sure one strong performance would be enough for me to go back to this offense with confidence.
Tyreek Hill, WR
What in the world are we supposed to do here?
The scary part is that I’m not sure Tyreek Hill would feel confident in starting Tyreek Hill these days, and that’s a position that almost requires blind confidence.
In addition to just the vibes being sideways in South Beach, Hill wasn’t really put in a position to succeed last week, and that was against an occasionally vulnerable Colts defense. He averaged a near unfathomable 1.3 yards after the catch per reception in Week 1 (career rate: 4.8), something that calls into question a ton of things.
1) Is he washed?
2) Is this offense using him properly?
3) Has the shine of this system completely worn off?
I wish I had an answer for you.
I have him hovering around WR30 for the week, and I’m not inclined to move off of that. Jakobi Meyers has averaged 9.4 targets and 15.9 PPR points per game since Davante Adams was traded and offers an elevated floor: how can I reasonably rank Hill ahead of a profile like that?
If you paid up for him and feel obligated to start him, I get it. I’m a man of the people and can share with you that he’s played four games against the Patriots where Tagovailoa was under center:
- 16.9 PPR PPG
- 6 end zone targets
- 29% target rate
Repeat those rates, and we are looking at a WR2 with ease. But are those past numbers viable anymore? I need a few more data points to dismiss all previous production completely, but my patience is wearing thin, and I imagine you’re in the same boat.