For Miami Dolphins fans, the only way the sting of Sunday’s 41-14 defeat at the hand of the Buffalo Bills could’ve been worse is if they started either Ryan Tannehill or Lamar Miller in their respective fantasy teams.
Just as few predicted, Rishard Matthews managed to have the biggest day among Miami’s skill-position players:
Sunday undoubtedly represented a return to the Dolphins of 2013 rather than a continuation of last year’s 8-8 group. Watching Tannehill and Miller was particularly frustrating as it called to mind their more toxic fantasy nature in previous seasons.
As much as the entirety of the Dolphins front office deserves some blame for Tannehill‘s on-field struggles, he made his fair share of boneheaded mistakes Sunday. Like the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Andy Dalton, he can go from Pro Bowl-caliber QB to absolutely hapless in the space of a few drives.
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal might have the right idea to light a fire under the 27-year-old:
Ideally, you have Tannehill on your roster as more of an emergency option/sleeper QB1 candidate; that way you can reap the rewards of another strong season but also have protection in the event he regresses to his rookie or second-year self.
You’re walking a tightrope if you’re relying on Tannehill to be your regular starter.
That risk is even more apparent with Miller, who didn’t get off to a great start in the Dolphins’ first two games. Perhaps that affected how the coaching staff used the 24-year-old running back Sunday, since he seemed underutilized against Buffalo.
Nerdy Football’s Cian Fahey was among many calling for Miller to receive more touches:
The addition of Jonas Gray has clouded Miller’s fantasy value even further; it’s like watching Miller and Daniel Thomas split carries all over again.
Barring an unforeseen breakthrough, Miller is probably going to be an RB2 at best this year, with the flex his more realistic position.
At least Miller has a somewhat proven record, which can’t be said of Matthews. Entering 2015, the 25-year-old had made just six starts in three years. In his career-best season, he had 448 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
In a sense, the Dolphins don’t have a No. 1 go-to wideout who is bound to receive the most targets on a weekly basis. While Jarvis Landry is on average Tannehill‘s favorite target, he doesn’t hoard the majority of touches in the passing game.
As a result, Matthews may be able to continue his strong start to the 2015 season. If he’s still available in your league, consider adding him in the event you’re unhappy with your current WR setup.
Matthews won’t break the century mark and catch two touchdown passes in every game, but he could be a solid flex player over the remainder of the year.
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