The Miami Dolphins will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Is Tua Tagovailoa Playing in Week 8?
Tua Tagovailoa’s presence at Wednesday’s practice had to be a sight for the Miami Dolphins’ sore eyes. After struggling with Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley, and Tim Boyle while Tagovailoa recovered from his Week 3 concussion, the Dolphins’ offense should get a significant boost now that Tua is back in the saddle.
With Tua sidelined from Weeks 3 through 7, Miami ranked 31st in offensive EPA per play (-0.23). Only the Patriots were worse during that stretch. Neither Tyreek Hill nor Jaylen Waddle has produced a top-30 fantasy WR finish since Tua exited.
Big day for the Miami Dolphins.
Tua Tagovailoa is back at practice for the first time in six weeks.
Players not spotted today: Terron Armstead, Calais Campbell, Kader Kohou, Storm Duck, and Tyler Huntley. pic.twitter.com/yjyyV9ArL1
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley)
Here’s what PFN’s Adam Beasley wrote from Wednesday’s Dolphins practice:
“Tagovailoa, who, as he signaled, did not wear a Guardian Cap, looked sharp during the 20+ minute window open to reporters. Only one of his many throws hit the ground: An in-breaking route to Jaylen Waddle that was just beyond his grasp.”
After getting in a limited practice on Wednesday, Tagovailoa practiced in full on Thursday, which is a great sign.
On Friday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced that Tua had exited the NFL’s concussion protocol and will start against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Should You Start or Sit Tua Tagovailoa in Week 8?
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.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Tagovailoa is projected to score 14.6 fantasy points in Week 8. This includes 225.7 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.8 interceptions. It also includes 2 rushing attempts for 7.7 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (at KC)
2) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at PHI)
4) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. BUF)
Dolphins vs. Cardinals 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.