Fantasy

7/28/23

5 min read

Miami Dolphins 2023 Fantasy Football Team Preview

By , , &

As we inch closer to opening day of the NFL season, we want to get you prepared for your fantasy football drafts. That process begins with our team previews, where we’ll break down each team’s offense while providing players we’re targeting and, in some cases, avoiding.

>> READ: Dolphins Season Preview from Chuck Pagano

Dolphins Fantasy Football Team Preview

Head Coach: Mike McDaniel (second season)

Offensive Coordinator: Frank Smith (second season)

Key Offensive Additions

Key Offensive Departures

Key Offensive Rookies

Points Per Game: 23.4 (11th)

Passing Yards: 265.4 (fourth)

Rushing Yards: 99.2 (25th)

Vacated Targets: 103 (24th)

Pass: 65 percent Run: 35 percent

Pace: 31st

OL Rank: 26th

Quarterbacks

Availability is a major concern for Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered multiple concussions last season. But as long as Tagovailoa is healthy, the sky is the limit for Mike McDaniel’s offense.

Tagovailoa missed four games last season, but he was 10th among qualifying quarterbacks in fantasy points per game with 18.4. He could realistically surpass that number this season.

Apart from injury concerns with Tagovailoa, the Dolphins' offensive line is a Terron Armstead injury away from being a liability. While we can count on McDaniel to mitigate that potential disadvantage through play calling, Tagovailoa’s ability to throw downfield would be severely hampered.

Overall, we’re treating Tagovailoa as a backend QB1 option with some fringe top-five upside in a best-case scenario.

If Tagovailoa misses time, White showed he is capable of spike weeks during his Jets' tenure. In that scenario, White has considerable value in two-quarterback leagues, given the quality of his supporting cast, but would only be a matchups-based streaming option in most leagues.

Running Backs

Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson both set career highs last year with 1,093 and 1,045 total yards, respectively. Tagovailoa led the NFL by nearly a full yard in yards per pass attempt, and McDaniel is a Kyle Shanahan disciple. In short, the stage is set for another big season from this running game.

While Mostert and Wilson are the top candidates to handle early down work, the team has been linked to veterans like Dalvin Cook, who would bring a more proven track record. If the team starts the year with its current depth chart, Mostert and Wilson most likely hot-hand individual weeks — think 12-15 carries with a couple of targets. That could make it difficult for fantasy managers to know which player is set up for 15 fantasy points.

Achane was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the college sprinter is a world-class athlete whose speed dovetails nicely with the receiving duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Achane carried 20 times and had 3.6 receptions per game as a college junior. That massive workload is surprising for someone with a 190-pound frame.

While Achane certainly won’t be seeing 23 touches per game in the NFL, five to 10 carries and three to five receptions per game are within reach. That type of role would make Achane a weekly starter in PPR leagues, where his speed provides some weekly touchdown upside that otherwise wouldn’t be there for a player of his stature.

Wide Receivers, Tight Ends

Last season was a roller coaster for the Miami Dolphins. On the bright side, Hill and Waddle were both dominant wide receivers in their first year as a duo in Miami. That success came in McDaniel’s first year as a play caller, which means that everyone will be more comfortable in the offense. The ceiling of this offense rides on the health of Tagovailoa, but Hill and Waddle would still be productive fantasy assets if White is forced into action. McDaniels’ ability to get his dynamic speedsters the ball is the primary reason behind that confidence. 

Miami added Berrios and Anderson in free agency, who will both be role players with limited fantasy relevancy. Unless, of course, Hill or Waddle miss time. Miami’s tight end room will not produce a viable fantasy option outside of very deep leagues or tight end premium formats. 

Last year, Hill and Waddle combined for more than a 50 percent target share. We expect the Dolphins' passing attack to run through its dynamic duo once again. That’s why Hill and Waddle have top-eight upside if Tagovailoa plays the full season. Hill is priced appropriately at current ADP, while Waddle is a great value in the second round.

Dynasty Buy

Ian Miller: Buy Achane

Achane became the eighth "Upside Bellcow" running back prospect to be drafted in the third round. He now joins the league’s fastest offense with a path to significant Year 1 playing time alongside Wilson and Mostert. 

Dolphins We’re Targeting in Fantasy Football

Josh Larky: Tagovailoa, Waddle

Ryan Reynolds: Waddle, Wilson

Jordan Vanek: Hill, Waddle

Other Team Previews

NFC East: DAL | NYG | PHI | WAS

NFC North: GB | CHI | MIN | DET

NFC South: NO | ATL | CAR | TB

NFC West: SF | LAR | SEA | ARI

AFC East: BUF | NE | NYJ

AFC North: CIN | CLE | BAL | PIT 

AFC South: HOU | IND | JAX | TEN

AFC West: KC | LAC | LV | DEN

Follow our Team on Twitter

Josh Larky: @JLarkyTweets

Ryan Reynolds: @RyanReynoldsNFL  

Jordan Vanek: @JordanVanekDFS   

Ian Miller: @Dynasty_IM   

Our data is provided by Sports Info Solutions and our vacated targets figure is provided by Tru Media. 

Follow The 33rd Team Podcast Network on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Tags: Braxton Berrios, Chosen Anderson, Dalvin Cook See More

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan graduated with distinction from the University of Minnesota as an accounting major, but some of the most valuable business and investment lessons he has ever learned came from spending weekends learning the sports collectibles business from his father. At a young age, Ryan would voluntarily spend hours sifting through minor league baseball statistics, using his father’s analytics-based system to identify potential targets. Even then, the hitter’s swing or the pitcher’s “stuff” mattered more to Ryan than the perspective granted through just data.

Josh Larky

Josh Larky is the Director of Fantasy and Gambling at The 33rd Team.  He joins us with a unique blend of educational and professional experience.

Jordan Vanek

Jordan has been playing DFS since 2016 and started writing content at the end of 2020. While playing DFS, he has managed multiple top 10 finishes in NFL, college football, baseball, basketball and NASCAR.

Ian Miller

Ian Miller attended Washington State University, where most of the time he was building fantasy football models when he should’ve been paying attention to lectures. That’s where he first started building his process that he continue to grow today. It’s a process that gives probability of success and range of outcomes for recruits all the way to ten year NFL veterans. It’s something Ian not only shares with the readers, but also uses in his personal fantasy leagues.

RELATED