Fantasy Football Player Notes
2025 Half PPR Draft Rankings
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17.
De'Von Achane
RB - (at NE)
After averaging an outrageous 7.8 yards per carry as a rookie in 2023, Achane merely averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season. But Achane's receiving numbers soared last year as the Miami passing game became more of a dink-and-dunk attack. In 2023, Achane had 27 catches in 11 games. Last year, he had 78 catches for 592 yards and six TDs in 17 games. The question is whether the Dolphins restore the verticality to their passing game, endeavoring to get Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle more involved. If so, Achane might not come close to repeating those stellar receiving totals.
But as I mentioned when we talked about projections that scare us and we got into Tyreek Hill ... Tua Tagovailoa averaged 5.7 intended air yards per throw last year - a career low for Tua and a crazy-low number in general. ... When Tua came back from his concussion last year, he just wasn't throwing downfield very much. It was bad for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and it was good for Achane and Jonnu Smith. Achane went from 2.5 catches a game as a rookie to 4.5 catches a game. I just don't know if Achane is going to be quite that busy as a pass catcher if Tua can stay healthy and the Miami passing game is back to normal this year, with much more of a downfield component than we saw in 2024. |
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34.
Tyreek Hill
WR - (at NE)
We'll probably get some sort of rebound from Tyreek Hill after he went from a magnificent 119-1,799-13 season in 2023 to a disappointing 81-959-6 campaign in 2024. The brightest ray of hope for Tyreek is that Tua Tagovailoa averaged a career-low 5.7 intended air yards per attempt last season. In 2023 he was at 7.7 intended air yards per attempt, and in 2022 he was at 9.5 intended air yards per attempt. The departure of TE Jonnu Smith in a late-June trade could also mean some extra targets for Tyreek. But the Cheetah is 31 now, and we certainly can't count on a full season of good health for Tua.
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59.
Jaylen Waddle
WR - (at NE)
Jaylen Waddle is a compelling buy-low candidate after a season in which he had only 744 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Part of that was due to a Tua Tagolaivoa concussion that left the Miami passing game dead in the water while Tua was out. With Jonnu Smith having left Miami for Pittsburgh, Waddle could conceivably get more snaps from the slot and see more of the easy throws that turned Jonnu into a PPR monster last year. Let's not forget what a good player Waddle is. He had the most yards per route run in college since 2020 (which includes guys like Ja'Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb). Waddle was the No. 6 overall draft pick in 2021. He had three straight 1,000-yard seasons to begin his NFL career. Don't sleep on him after a statistically disappointing year.
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140.
Tua Tagovailoa
QB - (at NE)
After throwing for a league-high 4,624 yards in 2023, Tua Tagovailoa played only 11 games in 2024, missing four games with a concussion early in the season and then sitting out the final two games of the season with a hip injury. Concussions are an ongoing concern for Tua, who sustained a pair of them in 2022 and played only 13 games that year. When healthy, Tua is a capable pocket passer who offers no rushing upside. He completed a league-best 72.9% of his throws last season, though he averaged only 5.7 intended air yards per pass attempt. He's averaged a very respectable 7.6 yards per pass attempt over his career. The Miami offensive line could be problematic in 2025, but Tua has a fine pair of receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, along with TE Jonnu Smith and RB De'Von Achane. Regard Tua as a risky QB2.
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157.
Ollie Gordon II
RB - (at NE)
Given all the injuries in the Dolphins' backfield, Ollie Gordon is getting more opportunities with the starting offense. The rookie RB entered this season with the 5th-highest dominator rating in this year's class, with one of the best single-season ratings during his 2023 campaign (over 2,000 yards from scrimmage).
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215.
Jaylen Wright
RB - (at NE)
Coach Mike McDaniel said after Saturday's preseason game that Jaylen Wright (leg) is "week-to-week, as reported first by Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post. He will miss the first several weeks after undergoing a small procedure.
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256.
Malik Washington
WR - (at NE)
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276.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
WR - (at NE)
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278.
Darren Waller
TE - (at NE)
Darren Waller is coming out of retirement to join the Dolphins on a one-year deal. With Jonnu Smith leaving Miami for Pittsburgh, Waller could start for the Dolphins. He turns 33 in September and hasn't given us a good fantasy season since 2020. It would probably be a mistake to expect Waller to produce the same sort of numbers Jonnu put up last year in his breakthrough season, but it's possible Waller could be fantasy-relevant if the Miami passing attack continues to be more horizontal than vertical, as it was for most of last season.
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304.
Jason Sanders
K - (at NE)
The Dolphins' kicker finished as the No.5 kicker in fantasy in 2024, ranking 6th in PPG (9.8). Sanders has been a top-12 guy in the last two seasons and will be on the fantasy radar as a starting kicking option in 2025, playing the majority of his games in sunny Florida. However he will miss the first 4-5 weeks with an injury. Do not draft.
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345.
Miami Dolphins
DST - (at NE)
The Dolphins open the season at the Colts and at home against the Patriots. Even though they are entering the year with low expectations (rightfully so, given the state of the defense), they could easily surprise with some early-season wins. I like their fantasy D/ST in these opening two matchups as well in deeper formats. They take on Buffalo in Week 3, but then get two more good matchups between the Jets and Panthers.
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425.
Alec Ingold
RB - (at NE)
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427.
Julian Hill
TE - (at NE)
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446.
Theo Wease Jr.
WR - (at NE)
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457.
Greg Dulcich
TE - (at NE)
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460.
Jeff Wilson Jr.
RB - (at NE)
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463.
Zach Wilson
QB - (at NE)
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493.
Riley Patterson
K - (at NE)
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520.
Quinn Ewers
QB - (at NE)
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537.
Tanner Conner
TE - (at NE)
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583.
Cedrick Wilson Jr.
WR - (at NE)
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625.
Jalin Conyers
TE - (at NE)
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704.
Tahj Washington
WR - (at NE)
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715.
JaMycal Hasty
RB - (at NE)
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726.
Dee Eskridge
WR - (at NE)
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