Fantasy Football has completely blown up in the last decade, and it attracts millions of people that play through huge reputable sites like Yahoo, or ESPN and face off against a group of friends or strangers. Each person selects individual players to fill their roster, and players score points each week, based on yards, receptions, touchdowns and other statistically categories. For those football gambling fans that are actually going to compete in a Fantasy Football League this year, there are some Dolphin players that can actually be worthy of a selection.
For anyone that is involved in a league where you can use your QB at the flex position, or allows you to play each week with two QB’s, then Tannehill is actually worth a selection in the middle rounds. He would not be my number 1 QB, because there are quite a few QB’s that are a lot safer at that position. But Tannehill has definitely shown improvement this off-season, and he is loaded with receiving options. Also in Lazor’s new offense, he should be a running threat, and the up-tempo speed of play calling should actually help him have more snaps per game. It also appears that the running game is going to be a problem, so don’t be surprised if Tannehill airs it out over 40 times a game. Tannehill was close to throwing for over 4,000 yards last season, so as long as he stays healthy he should be able to go over the 4k bench mark. The key for Tannehill to be a worthy QB in fantasy leagues is for him to improve his touchdown to interception ratio. Last year he threw 24 touchdowns, to 17 interceptions. I truly think he is going to have a break out season, so I would say that he should be able to improve that ratio, and may even be able to crack the 30 touchdown mark.
It appears that Charles Clay finally completed a full practice, and he stated, that he is thrilled to be practicing, and that there was never a moment that he did not believe he would be ready for the regular season. So in regards to drafting him as a TE, then he will probably be in the top 5 to 10 TE’s taken. He had 69 receptions, 759 yards and 6 touchdowns last year, and as long as he stays healthy his numbers should be very similar if not better in this new offensive system that loves using the TE’s. ESPN actually has him ranked as the 11 best TE, but I would pick him over Dennis Pitta, Jason Witten, Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed and Kyle Rudolph.
In regards to our the Dolphin receivers, it’s tough to say which would be the best to draft over one another. The phins are loaded at receiver, and Tannehill is definitely going to be spreading the ball out. Most leagues allow you to play each week with 3 starting receivers, so Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Brandon Gibson are definitely going to be picked up. If I had to choice out of the 3 I would actually pick Brandon Gibson a bit later in the draft over Hartline and Wallace. Hartline seems to always catch the ball, but he is not a guy that has a knack for the end-zone. I believe Wallace will have a very good season, but he is sometimes non-existent in games. I think he will be a frustrating pick, because some weeks he will put up some big numbers, but other weeks he will have 3 catches for 40 yards. Before Brandon Gibson got hurt he was Tannehill’s favorite receiver, and he was able to make 30 catches for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, in 6 full games and a few plays in the 7th game before he got injured against the Patriots. If you extrapolate that out to a full season, then he would have had around 80 catches, for 869 yards and 8 touchdowns. The key is the touchdowns, and Gibson has proven that he is a good red zone threat that Tannehill seems to looks for. Rishard Matthews and Jarvis Landry will be contributors this season, but should only be used if your wide receiver roster is thin, and you are in a bye week for your number 1 or 2 receiver.
In regards to running back, Miller and Moreno, would be your second running back, however I personally would not pick either, since it appears that the running game is going to be an after thought in the offensive plans, and neither has done anything this preseason to prove they need to be feed the rock 25 times a game.