Fitzmagic lived up to his name at times last season, with seven
games of at least 25 fantasy points, including a fantasy super
bowl-winning performance against the Bengals in Week 16, with
419 passing yards and four touchdowns.
From a fantasy perspective, Fitzpatrick proved to be a decent
streaming option, yet his lack of consistency made him too much
of a risk to be an every-week starter. Perhaps his most important
contribution from a fantasy perspective was his assistance in
helping DeVante Parker breakout.
As is always the case for the journeyman QB, Fitzpatrick is a
placeholder yet again, keeping the seat warm until Tua Tagovailoa
is healthy and ready to take over the starting role. Tua will
most likely take over the starting job at some point in the season,
making Fitzpatrick someone to avoid in drafts.
A brutal schedule to start the season is another reason to consider
passing on Fitzpatrick as a streamer. The Dolphins take on the
Patriots, Bills, and 49ers, three of the top defenses in the league,
in their first five weeks of the year.
The Dolphins used the fifth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft to select
quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama. Tua will be given every
opportunity to be the team’s franchise quarterback for years
to come, and he has the pedigree and skills to be a star in the
NFL.
With that said, Tua will likely start the season on the bench
as he continues to recover from a serious hip injury that he suffered
last season with the Crimson Tide. If the team is smart, they
will not rush him back too early, especially considering the difficult
schedule the team faces to start the year, with matchups against
the Patriots, Bills, and 49ers in the first five weeks.
Fantasy owners will likely pass on Tua to start the season, yet
he could have some value as a streamer down the stretch.
RB Jordan
Howard
(2019 RB Rank - No.21, 11.3 FPts/G)
Howard’s one-year stint with the Eagles was cut short due
to a shoulder injury that cost him six games in the regular season.
Howard was used sparingly with the Eagles as part of the running
back rotation utilized by Doug Pederson. Despite this fact, he
did post the second best YPC average of his career and did reach
the end zone seven times.
The Dolphins signed Howard to a two-year, $10 million deal with
nearly $5 million guaranteed. Although they did trade with the
49ers later in the offseason to acquire Matt Breida, Howard’s
size and contract make him the front runner to be the lead back
in an offense that is in dire need of a running game.
Miami was far and away the worst rushing team in the league last
year, posting just five total touchdowns and only 1400 total yards
among all of their RBs combined. Howard should give them a boost
in the arm, and Howard could be a nice value for a back who could
get upwards of 250 touches.
Matt Breida posted his second straight season averaging over
five yards per carry as a member of the NFC Champion San Francisco
49ers. He boasts sprinter speed, above-average pass-catching ability,
and he is a threat to take it to the house anywhere on the field.
Unfortunately for Breida, he went from the league’s best
rushing offense to the worst, and Kyle Shanahan’s innovative
running game will not be there for Breida as a member of the Dolphins.
Look for Breida to share the load with Jordan Howard. Breida
is a far more talented pass catcher than Howard, but he is too
small to be an every down, between the tackles type of back.
2019 was finally the year for Parker to live up to the draft
hype. The 6’3”, 210-pound former first-round pick
always had all the skills required to be a stud wide receiver
in the NFL, he just lacked motivation and the work ethic to produce
elite numbers. Although he reportedly turned things around last
season from a work ethic perspective, the Dolphins were downright
dreadful in 2018 and injuries limited him to just 11 games.
Two other key components led to the big season for Parker in
2019. The Dolphins went with the gun-slinging Ryan Fitzpatrick
at quarterback, a player who loves to target big wide receivers
like Parker downfield, and someone who does not mind throwing
into tight coverage. Another component was the fact that the Dolphins
were terrible on defense, the Dolphins had no run game, and the
team constantly chased points.
This season, those factors may not be in place. Eventually, Tua
will take over at QB, the running game looks to be more viable
with Jordan Howard and Matt Breida, and the defense seems to be
improved.
Parker will likely lead the team in targets once again, and he
will be a red zone threat, but he may not get the same level of
volume that helped fuel his breakout season.
Williams’ impressive training camp and preseason thrust
his name into the fantasy community as more than a few writers
made him their late-round sleeper. At 6’4, 210 pounds, he
is a little taller than his counterpart across the formation (DeVante
Parker), and he seemed to earn the confidence in quarterback Ryan
Fitzpatrick, with four games of seven or more targets, including
12 targets against the Cowboys Week 3.
Williams suffered a season-ending ACL tear against the Jets Week
9. He will likely limited in training camp, yet it is not out
of the question for him to be ready Week 1. He will likely be
on the WR4 radar as the No.2 wide receiver on a team that wants
to run the ball more, but his value could jump significantly if
something happened to Parker, a receiver with a history of injuries.
With Albert
Wilson and Allen
Hurns choosing to opt-out, the Dolphins will likely get Williams
on the field as soon as he is ready.
TE Mike Gesicki
(2019 TE Rank - No.11, 5.8 FPts/G)
Only Tyler Higbee, Jared Cook, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle
scored more fantasy points than Mike Gesicki over the final five
weeks of the season.
The former second-round pick from Penn State caught all five
of his touchdowns during that span, including a two-touchdown
performance against the Bengals in the fantasy super bowl.
Now that he is entering his third season, Gesicki looks primed
to be a breakout player with the opportunity to possibly finish
in the top-5 at the position.
The return of Preston Williams, an increase in efficiency in
the run game, and a change at QB to Tua could limit his volume.
However, Gesicki should still be a red zone threat and could be
one of the best values at the position in 2020.
