The surprisingly competitive Miami Dolphins find themselves in the thick of the playoff race — but some of their top running backs may be sidelined for Week 15. What is this weekend’s injury outlook for Miami’s RBs heading into Sunday’s faceoff with the Jets, and can managers trust Myles Gaskin, Duke Johnson, or Malcolm Brown in fantasy football?
Update 12/19/21: Malcolm Brown remained on the IR this week. Both Myles Gaskin and Duke Johnson will be active for the Dolphins’ game against the Jets.
Myles Gaskin remains the bell cow
A 2019 seventh-round pick, Gaskin was one of fantasy’s biggest surprises last season. His 16.4 fantasy points per game placed him 13th among RBs in points per game. This year, he has been deceptively middling, as his points per game have dropped to 12.3, while his 3.4 yards-per-carry mark is lower than any other top 50 fantasy RB. What’s keeping him relevant? 45 receptions on 56 targets, which are both sixth-most in the league among RBs.
Gaskin was one of several Dolphins players placed on the COVID list this past week. But on Friday, he was removed. If he returns to the field Sunday against the Jets, he’ll slot in as a volume-dependent RB3. In other words, if he’s on your bench, keep an eye on his status if you’re vulnerable at your No. 2 RB or flex spot. However, be wary of overestimating the output of a player who’s been sidelined for a week.
Salvon Ahmed and Phillip Lindsay are the wild cards
Salvon Ahmed and Phillip Lindsay were also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, though Ahmed was removed on Friday. Since flashing last year in Week 15 against New England (23-133-1 rushing line), Ahmed has only 180 rushing yards on 66 carries (2.7 ypc).
Unless you believe the 22-year-old is destined for a sudden turnaround, he should remain on waiver wires unless he’s somehow named the starter due to extraordinary bad luck for other Miami RBs.
Lindsay is more intriguing due to a three-year track record as a talented back in Denver. Despite peaking as a rookie in 2018, Lindsay is arguably the Dolphins’ most complete RB.
Ignore his disappointing 2021 numbers. He caught a total of 70 receptions in his first two seasons and boasts a 4.6 career ypc. If he’s active Sunday, and if for some reason Gaskin can’t go, Lindsay would be my favorite option to lead the Fins’ backfield. That said, he would need to be the clear-cut starter to garner fantasy consideration. That’s not very likely.
Malcolm Brown, Duke Johnson, and Gerrid Doaks are the fallbacks
Let’s start with Gerrid Doaks, who was placed on the COVID list Thursday. The newest NFL testing policy gives him an outside shot of being eligible to play this weekend. The seventh-round rookie looked uninspiring this preseason (26-88 rushing line), and he has not yet seen regular-season action. He’s merely an interesting player to track for 2022 if Miami determines Gaskin is not a long-term solution.
Most of you know what Johnson brings to the table. He’s best known for two things: impressively catching 40+ passes each season from 2015 to 2019, and being the only healthy RB on Miami’s roster. If Johnson is the last man standing on Sunday, he would slot in as a must-start RB3+.
As for Brown, the former Ram has been on injured reserve with a quad injury for nearly two months. He’s a less versatile version of Johnson, though he did catch a career-high 23 passes last year.
The 28-year-old Brown would be more TD-dependent than Johnson if paired together on Sunday. As with all Dolphin RBs not named Gaskin, his value hinges on the absence of most of his backfield teammates.