Football is right around the corner, so our fantasy season will kick off before you know it. It’s the time when fantasy magazines begin appearing in bodegas, and NFL Network begins airing fantasy football content. This is the beginning of the casual season, as some call it, but for us dynasty diehards, this is just the culmination of offseason work. Today we are covering the Miami Dolphins. Welcome to the 2022 NFL season!
The Miami Dolphins are all in on the 2022 season and third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. They have made various splash plays, bringing in veteran free agents. The highlight of these moves was acquiring Pro-Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill. In exchange, the Dolphins sent a 2022 first-rounder and a slew of day two and later picks. In addition, they brought in Terron Armstead, one of the best left tackles in the game, and running back Chase Edmonds. This front office is showing all the confidence in the world in Tagovailoa. The key will be if he can succeed with such a robust roster around him. Let us take a deep look at what players we should target or sell for dynasty fantasy football.
Quarterbacks
It is interesting to think that all the talk of the NFL season just three years ago was #TankForTua. The Alabama quarterback was deemed a can’t-miss prospect who was a lock for the number one overall pick at the start of the college football season. A devastating hip injury suffered halfway through the fall caused Tagovailoa to fall to the fifth overall pick. Now there are those questioning his place as a starter in the NFL. According to PFF, he ranks as a bottom-third quarterback in the league. However, significant investments in both the offensive line and pass catchers lead many to predict a third-year breakout for the 24-year-old.
If Tagovailoa were to falter or, god forbid, go down with another injury, Teddy Bridgewater would serve as his immediate replacement. Bridgewater has seen time as a starter in various franchises across the league. In years past, we have seen both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jacoby Brissett start games in place of Tagovailoa. Given the frequency of Tua’s injuries, Bridgewater is a worthwhile stash in deeper Superflex dynasty leagues. He is most likely on the waivers and should be picked up given you have room on your bench.
According to Underdog’s best ball ADP, Tua is currently valued at QB17 for the 2022 season.
Running Backs
One of the major talking points in fantasy circles regarding the 2022 Miami Dolphins is how the running back room will play out. New head coach Mike McDaniel spent seven years working with Kyle Shannahan in Atlanta and San Francisco. We can fully expect to bring the Shannahan zone-running scheme with him to Miami. This offense is a running scheme that emphasizes having a deep stable of fast running backs. The key to success is having the speed necessary to reach the edge and take advantage of any hole created by the zone blocking of your offensive line. The Dolphins’ front office brought Chase Edmonds on a two-year, $12 million deal to accomplish this. However, he is not the only back that was added this offseason.
Joining Edmonds in this running back room will be former 49er Raheem Mostert and former Ram Sony Michel. There are depth pieces already on the roster, such as Myles Gaskin, Salvon, Ahmed, and Gerrid Doaks. That is a very large running back room, and not everyone is guaranteed to make the final 53-man roster. Edmonds does not have the most draft capital connected to him, but he does have the most money guaranteed money left on his contract. Last year’s starter Gaskin is slated to be a free agent after the season.
Wide Receivers
The Dolphins’ front office’s biggest splash this offseason was the acquisition of Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs. Hill will be joining a wide receiver room that already features Jaylen Waddle. Interestingly enough, Waddle is a player that compares very closely to Hill. Both measure within one inch and five pounds of each other and are known for an unbelievable speed. Having both deployed on the field will be an exciting concept to watch. It does raise questions on how each player will be used. We will have to wait until Week One to see what Mike McDaniels has cooked up.
Joining Waddle and Hill are a variety of depth pieces that include Cedrick Wilson, Preston Williams, Trent Sherfield, and Mohamed Sanu. Considering Hill and Waddle soaked up over 140 targets each for different teams, it is hard to imagine that any of these other players will receive any significant target share. The 2021 San Francisco 49er only attempted 514 passes last season. That was the fourth lowest in the league last season. You have to imagine McDaniels will operate an offense similar to this for the Miami Dolphins. Any receiver not named Waddle or Hill will not be fantasy relevant for the 2022 season. Additionally, considering Waddle and Hill are under contract for the next four years, they will dominate the target share for the foreseeable future.
Tight Ends
Mike Gesicki had a breakout season in 2021, accumulating over 780 yards and finishing as TE9 in PPR leagues. The fourth-year player out of Penn State will be a free agent after the season and was most recently in the news arguing that his franchise tag should be designated as a wide receiver. He asserted that he lined up in the slot or as a wide receiver on 85% of his snaps in 2021. Gesicki has spent 50% of his snaps lined up inline as a blocker through two preseason games. This is a trend that will not continue. Gesicki is an easy sell in dynasty, and managers should try to recoup his value before your league mates realize how little he will be used as a pass catcher this season.
Conclusion
The 2022 Miami Dolphins are a team with many questions heading into Week One of the NFL season. McDaniels is bringing a new offensive scheme to the team, and the front office spent a significant amount of draft capital and money bringing in talent. However, the greatest question may lie with quarterback Tagovailoa and how he will perform with upgrades around him. The running back room is a treasure trove of dynasty value as everyone, including the starter, is undervalued. The tight-end room may be one to fade, and there may not be enough targets to go around when you combine a low pass-volume offense with two high-volume wide receivers. It will surely be an exciting dynasty season for the Dolphins, so stay locked in with DynastyNerds to stay up-to-date.
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I hope you enjoyed this piece in our Fantasy Focus series. For more content like this, follow me on Twitter @DanT_NFL. DMs are always open for any questions, comments, or craft beer recommendations!