Chris McCain

Defensive end Chris McCain has been traded to the New Orleans Saints, in exchange for a conditional 7th-round pick.

Fantasy Impact

The Dolphins are deep at the position so it was a smart business decision. McCain wasn't going to supplant Mario Williams, and the Dolphins are still hanging their hopes on Cameron Wake who has been replacing Jason Jones on passing downs.

The Miami Dolphins have placed Chris McCain on injured reserve. He injured his knee in Sunday's game against the Chargers. Primarily a special teams player, McCain became part of the rotation at defensive end once Cameron Wake was lost for the season.

Fantasy Impact

McCain didn't have any IDP value, and didn't really remedy the loss of Cameron Wake in the rotation, so Wake's subpar sack numbers were not improved upon.

Originally Chris McCain was working at linebacker in the preseason, but the Dolphins have had him practicing at defensive end for weeks. He now becomes part of the rotation. McCain has been inactive recently because special teams needs outweighed having nine active defensive linemen. “They’ve been praising me and telling me how hard I’ve been working and I practice, but it was just hard because of numbers, which is understandable,” McCain said. “Now it’s my time, showing up and having a bigger role and I’m up for the challenge."

Fantasy Impact

Derrick Shelby is listed as the starter at defensive end, but McCain will be part of the rotation coming in as a speed rusher. In large leagues that require an IDP DL starter, could McCain be the deepest of the deep sleepers? Perhaps not, but track what he does in the coming weeks.

McCain left the preseason opener against the Bears with an ankle injury. He returned to practice on Saturday. He has the opportunity to start this season alongside Jelani Jenkins. Meanwhile, Koa Misi has entered another year dealing with injuries that's keeping him sidelined, so it may be Kelvin Sheppard who eventually fills out the trio.

Fantasy Impact

Jelani Jenkins is the IDP option in Miami's linebacking corp. but it's always good to keep a look out for possible sleepers if you're in deep leagues. The Dolphins will once again run a 5-2 at times so keep watch on who will be sitting there with Jenkins, the one LB who will likely play in the most packages.

The Dolphins released their first depth chart of the season which has linebacker Chris McCain lining up at strong side along with Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins. The Dolphins have been rotating their linebackers during camp looking for the best fit.

Fantasy Impact

Often times, the first installment of the depth chart is used as a motivational tool. In the case of the Miami linebackers, this lineup may hold. Still, Jelani Jenkins is the choice for IDP consideration.