Pull out your Dan Marino and Ray Finkle jerseys because the time is now! Miami is back and they’ll give their fans and fantasy owners plenty to cheer for this season. It’s almost considered blasphemy to go against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick but I can say with confidence that the Dolphins will win the AFC East this year. I know, I know, pretty bold statement to go against the overly excited (sarcasm) mad genius in the blue hoodie. Miami has truly emptied their pockets in order to improve their roster for the upcoming season. There are a ton of fantasy relevant players on this team so I’ll dive right in.
The success or failure of this team is truly on the shoulders of Ryan Tannehill. It took Ryan a while to understand Bill Lazor’s offense. But once he found his groove, he was so comfortable that it looked like he was in the backyard with a bunch of buddies playing all time quarterback for both teams. From week nine to week sixteen the only players to outscore Tannehill were Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Ryan Tannehill was the 9th best quarterback in fantasy last season; surprisingly he doesn’t get enough credit for his running ability either. Ryan had 331 yards rushing and 4,045 yards passing during his 2014 campaign. You have to think these stats are the floor for him considering the bevy of weapons that were brought into Miami.
The Dolphins acquired Kenny Stills, Jordan Cameron, Greg Jennings and drafted DeVante Parker. Nevertheless, they’ll still have their leader in receptions from last season manning the slot position in Jarvis “Juice” Landry. He quietly had 84 receptions last year. I say quietly considering his fellow rookie receivers; OBJ, Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin overshadowed him because of their yardage/touchdowns. This is the year for Lamar Miller to breakout; he’s clearly a steal at his round 4 to 5 ADP (average draft position). This offense will move like a well-oiled machine. I’m not saying Miami will be the “greatest show on turf” but they’ll certainly be the best offense since number 13 graced the field.
The biggest acquisition that the Dolphins made this offseason was bringing Ndamukong Suh aboard. I know a lot of people love to hate him but you have to be enamored at his play. No one can deny the fact that he is the second best defensive tackle in football right now. Last season, Suh spearheaded a defense that was first in total defense and third against the rush. Suh does all the dirty work that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet like clogging up the middle, pushing the center into the quarterback or running back, demanding a double team on every down and this makes the entire defense better. Miami will be a top ten defense this year. A good defense always helps the offense; it makes for a shorter field and more scoring opportunities, which we’ll be witnessing in approximately 24 days. The Miami Dolphins are back!
