Fantasy Football 2021 Team Previews: Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins Fantasy Preview 2021

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Top 120

Myles Gaskin, RB (ADP: 44): Gaskin was one of the more shocking breakouts of 2020, rising from absolutely nowhere to frontline an NFL backfield and be one of the best receiving options at the position. He finished the Dolphins’ surprising season with 972 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns. More importantly, he survived the offseason without any major additions to the backfield, and as of this writing is slated to be the top guy. Now, I’ve heaped praise so far, but this is where I become a bit of a Debbie Downer. Gaskin’s price has been rising this summer, and I think he’s bordering on overpriced at this ADP. He barely averaged more than four yards per carry, his small stature makes it difficult to envision his touchdown total rising significantly, and this offense is about to revolve around Tua Tagovailoa. While Gaskin should be a strong contributor to fantasy teams this season, the WRs going in the same range are too enticing to pass up for him. I’d like Gaskin on my squad, but I need the price to drop just a tad.

**Will Fuller, WR (ADP: 92): Fuller had a massive breakout in 2020 in his first season without DeAndre Hopkins soaking up all the Texans’ targets. He averaged 16.6 yards per reception, 80 yards per game and he caught a career-best 53 passes in 11 games. Now, he’s separated from Deshaun Watson, but that doesn’t explain why he’s only the WR36 off draft boards. The knocks on him are not very sturdy; the new QB holds some water, because even if Tagovailoa makes a big leap he’s unlikely to be comparable to Watson. He’s also going to miss Week 1 due to a PED suspension leaking over from last year. Finally, he comes with valid injury concerns, since he’s never played in more than 14 games. But how about focusing on the positives?

Fuller ranked ninth among all WRs last year per PFF, first in WR DVOA (41.2%), and had 973 Effective Yards against 879 actual yards. He also averaged 11.7 yards per target, which led all receivers with at least 50 targets. In short, his breakout was no fluke, was not influenced solely by having a great QB, and he is exactly the kind of player who can help Miami’s franchise QB thrive. There’s no doubt competition in this offense for target share, but Fuller is legit and should be viewed as their top skill player. Absolute steal at this ADP.

Mike Gesicki, TE (ADP: 103): I want to love Gesicki. I do love his size and athleticism, and I definitely love that he has improved with every season in the NFL. He finished with 53 receptions, 703 yards and six touchdowns, all career-bests. Still, unlike players like Darren Waller, George Kittle or Travis Kelce, for all his gifts, Gesicki is not a focal point of this offense. He definitely will have blowup games, but he’s not going to receive the volume necessary to break into the upper tier. This ADP is pretty solid, and I’m fine drafting him here, but I don’t envision a league-winning evolution for him.

Jaylen Waddle, WR (ADP: 116): Waddle is another monstrous speed demon that Miami has brought in to help Tagovailoa succeed, and they drafted him fifth overall, ahead of his Heisman-winning teammate Devonta Smith. Waddle’s ADP is rising, and it’s easy to dream on him. He has absurd speed, and averaged more than 20 yards per reception at Alabama. But to me, unlike Smith, Waddle is a Henry Ruggs-esque player (fitting, as they were former teammates with the Tide) and that’s not awesome for fantasy owners. Waddle can and will blow up this year at times, but we’ll never know when, and it’ll often be on minimal targets. One of the problems, fantasy-wise, for his player type is that deep threats are inconsistent. He’s reliant on hitting on one or two of his opportunities, and the floor for that style is literally doughnuts. This ADP isn’t egregiously high, but there are absolutely players with similar upside to Waddle in this range that I am confident will see more volume, from more proven QBs. I won’t have many shares of Waddle unless the price drops.

Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)

DeVante Parker, WR (ADP: 125): Parker isn’t likely to return to 2019 form in this offense with Fuller bumping him down the pecking order, but I’d prefer him to Waddle since they have similar ADPs. Parker seems to feel old hat to fantasy owners coming off a letdown 2020 campaign, and the shiny new toys in South Beach. Where some see boring, I see reliable. He’s a big possession receiver to complement the new speedsters in the mix, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him lead the team in targets. At just inside the Top 50 receivers, this is a very nice option to have useful roster depth.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB (ADP: 162): Tua, once a player that multiple NFL teams were tanking actual games for the chance to draft, is already a bit of an afterthought for fantasy. He struggled last season, but he was coming off major hip surgery and had no real training camp. Plus, his weaponry was subpar, and his offensive line among the NFL’s worst. The Dolphins shipped out offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and his short, conservative passing game this offseason, which should benefit Tua who was known for his gorgeous, accurate deep balls at Alabama. Unleashing that, plus greater command of the playbook, plus some of the scariest deep threats in football at receiver should equal more production. He also proved he could scramble a bit – 36 rushing attempts, 109 yards, three touchdowns – which is a nice feather in his cap. I don’t think I’m enough of a believer to draft him in hopes he’s my every-week starter, but I do not mind taking a late stab at it behind a more established QB.

Salvon Ahmed, RB (ADP: 197): Ahmed had some moments in his brief opportunities when Gaskin sat, popping for 85 yards and a touchdown vs. the Chargers and 122 yards and a touchdown vs. the Patriots, the only two times he saw more than seven carries. He’s a pure handcuff, so this ADP is high, but he will have value if Gaskin goes down.

Sleeper Class (200 & later)

Malcolm Brown, RB (ADP: 248): Brown’s in a new backfield, ready to annoy Gaskin owners. He’s never averaged more than 26.2 yards a game in any of his six NFL seasons, but he has scored five touchdowns in back-to-back campaigns. He’s here to serve as a short yardage battering ram, and not much more. This means that in deep leagues, he might be worth a roster spot as a desperation, touchdown-or-bust type FLEX if you’re ravaged with injuries. In that regard, I actually think he is better to own than Ahmed, although that equation changes if Gaskin went down. In that scenario, Ahmed would be the RB I’m adding off waivers.

Preston Williams, WR (ADP: 375): Williams is a big boy, and he’s talented, but injuries have hurt him and now he’s buried behind several quality receivers. He can absolutely be relevant this year, but it’ll require some guys getting hurt. That means I’m not drafting him because unless those receivers get hurt in training camp, he’s got no path to playing time.

Defense/Special Teams (ADP: 184)

The Dolphins should have one of the NFL’s better real-life defenses, and they should have four plus matchups at minimum in the AFC East with two games each against the Jets and Patriots. If you do draft Miami, treat them like an every-week defense.