Tannehill posted career highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns,
completion percentage, and rushing yards in route to finishing
as the No.10 fantasy quarterback in 2014. With a new $77 mil,
4-year contract extension inked in the offseason and four new
offensive weapons in Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings, Jordan Cameron,
and first round pick DeVante Parker, Tannehill looks primed to
take another big step forward up the fantasy rankings. Stills
will help provide a deep threat to stretch the field, while Cameron
and Jennings will attack the middle in short and intermediate
routes. If Parker (foot) can get healthy and live up to the hype
that earned him the 14th selection in the 2015 draft, there is
an excellent chance that Tannehill will continue to improve on
his numbers from last season and will be a solid QB1 in all formats.
Miller emerged from an early season running back by committee
with former Dolphin Knowshon Moreno to deliver the ninth-most
fantasy points by a running back in 2014. The improvement of Tannehill
and the passing game forced opposing defenses to respect the play
action pass, opening the door for Miller to rush for a career-best
1099 yards on 216 carries. His 5.1 yards per carry average was
second only to Justin Forsett. Keep in mind that Miller will not
be used as a workhorse back. He averaged 15.9 touches last season
and the addition of rookie Jay Ajayi will allow the Dolphins to
keep Miller fresh and his workload to around 200 carries for the
season. It remains to be seen if Miller or Ajayi will earn goal
line carries.
The Dolphins added former Boise State Bronco Jay Ajayi with a
fifth-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft. Ajayi enters camp
as the clear number two back but could earn more carries and possibly
share some of the first and second down duties to help keep Lamar
Miller’s workload down. Ajayi appears to be a good fit for
the Miami offense which likes to run a lot of stretch plays to
the outside. His good hands give him the opportunity to be a three-down
back should Miller go down with an injury. Miller owners should
plan on using a late round pick to handcuff Miller with Ajayi.
Stills joins the Dolphins after two seasons as Drew Brees’ deep
threat in New Orleans. He will likely continue to work outside
as a deep threat for Ryan Tannehill in the role left vacant after
the departure of Mike Wallace. In addition to being a speed burner
who can stretch the field, Stills proved last season with his
63 catches for 931 yards and three TDs that he is not just a one-trick
pony which is critical as Tannehill is not known as a good deep-ball
thrower. As the number two wide out opposite of Jarvis Landry,
and with many mouths to feed in the passing game, Stills will
do well to finish as a high-end number three wideout in standard
12-team leagues.
Landry’s excellent rookie season was lost in the shadows
of other rookie sensations like Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin, and
his fellow LSU tiger Odell Beckham Jr. With 84 receptions for
758 yards and five touchdowns, Landry proved to have an excellent
rapport with Tannehill that should continue into season two. The
addition of Kenny Stills as a replacement for Mike Wallace will
likely not adversely affect Landry’s touches, but the signing
of Jordan Cameron and Greg Jennings, and the early draft pick
of DeVante Parker could spell a reduction of targets, which would
hurt a player like Landry who was more of a volume producer rather
than a player who provided consistent touchdown production each
week. Landry has high-end WR3 upside in PPR leagues.
At 6’3, Parker is a tall, athletic receiver similar to
the mold of A.J Green. He was selected 14th overall in the 2015
draft by the Dolphins after a impressive college career at Louisville
that included 156 catches for 2775 yards and 33 touchdowns. A
foot injury caused Parker to miss seven games in his senior season.
The foot injury required a follow-up surgery this offseason, which
will limit the number of touches Parker will receive from Tannehill
and will likely slow his initial development in the offense. Although
Odell Beckham Jr. proved to be a stud despite missing most of
OTA’s and training camp with a hamstring injury, fantasy
owners should not expect a similar breakout from Parker due to
the fact that the Dolphins have more depth and Miami runs a much
different offense than the Giants; one that’s based on the
intermediate passing game.
An aging veteran in the twilight of his career, Jennings put
up decent numbers in in Minnesota with a rookie quarterback in
Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. A move from Bridgewater to Tannehill
is a definite upgrade for Jennings, however Miami has more passing
options that will likely result in a drop from his 91 targets
last season. Jennings is the number-three wide receiver for the
Dolphins and likely the fourth target for Tannehill when you add
in tight end Jordan Cameron. He is a low-end WR4 fantasy wide
receiver in deeper leagues.
The Dolphins replaced Charles Clay with former Cleveland Browns
tight end Jordan Cameron over the offseason. Cameron is a bigger
tight end who provides a larger catch radius and presents more
of a size mismatch compared to Clay. He has impressed his new
team at OTA’s with his sure hands and excellent route running
ability. The question is can he stay healthy, as he has failed
to play a full 16-game season in his first four years in the league.
Cameron was last fantasy relevant in 2013 when he caught 80 passes
for 917 yards and 7 TDs, finishing as fantasy’s No.4 tight end.
