After putting up over 200 yards in the opener, how did Tyreek Hill’s encore performance fare? Should we pump the breaks on Tua Tagovailoa MVP talk? Is there a Patriots WR worth starting in fantasy football? All of this and more in our SNF takeaways.
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Fantasy Football Riser: Raheem Mostert
The New England Patriots were supposed to be a more difficult matchup for the Dolphins run game. Apparently, no one told Raheem Mostert.
One of the seldom few RBs over 30, Mostert sure didn’t look it on Sunday night. He ran the ball 18 times for 121 yards, including a “blink and he’s gone” 43-yard touchdown scamper (one of his two scores on the night).
Waltzing in untouched 🙌 Have a night, @RMos_8Ball!
📺: #MIAvsNE on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/ObXP9Y5FF1— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2023
The Dolphins very clearly do not trust rookie De’Von Achane, who would never have even seen the field had Salvon Ahmed not suffered a groin injury. This is Mostert’s backfield, and he looks like an every-week high RB2 going forward.
Tua Tagovailoa Was Human
In Week 1, Tagovailoa looked unstoppable. In Week 2, he was still good but was undoubtedly contained by the Patriots.
Tagovailoa threw for 249 yards and one touchdown. He also threw a pretty bad interception on a heavily underthrown deep ball intended for Hill.
Tagovailoa is still an every-week QB1, but we need to pump the brakes on valuing him with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen.
Tyreek Hill Cannot Be Stopped
There’s nothing more that really needs to be said about Hill. You could argue he’s the best WR in the NFL, and I wouldn’t blink. He’s certainly my WR1 in fantasy football for the rest of the season.
Even in a down game where Bill Belichick refused to allow him to beat them deep, Hill managed 15 fantasy points. He just wins at all levels.
Keep an Eye Out For Jaylen Waddle News
The Dolphins WR2 took a big hit late in the game on an incompletion over the middle. The hit resulted in a hit on a defenseless player call from the refs. Waddle remained down for a few seconds before heading into the blue tent and, ultimately, the locker room.
Waddle was evaluated for a concussion. At this time, we do not know if he has one. I am sure we will find out rather quickly.
The hit didn’t look too bad. I imagine Waddle felt as though he could return to the game. If Waddle is cleared of a concussion, he should play next week. If not, Waddle will almost certainly be out.
In a post-Tua concussion issues world, the NFL is much more careful with them. I don’t think we will ever see a concussed player play the very next week ever again.
If fantasy managers are forced to go a week or two without Waddle, the replacement will have to be someone on your bench. The Dolphins will just lean more on Hill while rotating Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, and Erik Ezukanma.
Ezekiel Elliott Is a Problem for Rhamondre Stevenson
The box score doesn’t tell the true story of this backfield. Rhamondre Stevenson finished with 32 more snaps played than Ezekiel Elliott, but he really bolstered his lead on the final two drives with the Patriots running the hurry-up.
It’s a great sign that Stevenson is the back in those scenarios. However, for the first three quarters, it was a near-even split, with Stevenson and Elliott mostly alternating drives.
Stevenson is still startable every week as an RB2. But unless he pulls away from Elliott, the RB1 we saw for stretches last season is not coming back.
Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker Are Startable
I was curious to see how Kendrick Bourne’s target volume would shake out with DeVante Parker back in action. Although he only caught four passes for 29 yards, he saw nine targets. That’s 20 targets in two weeks. I’m sold. Bourne is an every-week WR3/4.
MORE: Early Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups
As for Parker, he started in his first game back and saw eight targets himself. His six catches for 57 yards led the Patriots. An afterthought in fantasy drafts, Parker also looks like a startable WR3/4.
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