Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 17th at 9:30 AM ET
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Betting Odds: Miami -3.5 , 45.5 Total on Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa (Sit)
After being designated to return from IR this week, it looks pretty likely that Tua Tagovailoa will make his first appearance at quarterback after suffering a rib injury in week 2 against the Bills. In his only complete game of the season against the Patriots, Tagovailoa led his team to their only win of the year so far but did not look super comfortable in a defensive game. While the Jaguars are a good matchup to tackle on his return, Tua has yet to really get going in the NFL and may still be mildly limited by the lingering injury. He should only be started in absolute emergency scenarios due to the risk involved.
Running Backs
Myles Gaskin (Start, RB2), Malcolm Brown (Sit), Salvon Ahmed (Sit)
It was all looking extremely worrying for Myles Gaskin owners early in the season. That was, until, he had a major bounceback performance against the Bucs, scoring as many points in week 5 as he had in the previous 4 weeks combined. This was largely achieved through the passing game rather than on the ground, catching 10 passes for 74 yards and 2 TDs, leading to a monster performance in fantasy despite the team’s loss. In order to keep up at that level, Gaskin will have to continue having a key role in the passing offense or hope that the Dolphins’ play-calling has a major shakeup. That is because the Dolphins have shown an unwillingness to rush the ball, averaging only 19 attempts per game, comfortably the lowest rate in the league. That number is then again split between 3 capable backs as part of the committee which makes the situation even more difficult for Gaskin, even if he is the favored of the 3. However, Gaskin has shown that he can take advantage when he is given the opportunity to carry the ball, averaging 5 yards or higher in 4 out of 5 games, but the Dolphins have spent so long behind in games that running often is not a viable option. The good news for Gaskin owners is that he is up against one of the worst defenses in the league and this should be a game where running the ball is a lot more plausible. There are still a considerable number of red flags when it comes to Gaskin, but you cannot argue with the upside he has in week 6.
Backups Malcolm Brown and Salvon Ahmed have both seen a small amount of the workload but neither one looks like they can be relevant in fantasy for the time being.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jaylen Waddle (Start, FLEX), Devante Parker (Sit), Preston Williams (Sit), Mike Gesicki (Start, TE1)
One of the biggest sufferers from the injury to Tua Tagovailoa was the wide receivers group of the Dolphins. Through 5 weeks the Dolphins do not have a wide receiver with 250 yards or more than 1 TD and it was another quiet game against the Bucs as no receiver could reach even 10 fantasy points. Could this change with Tua back? Certainly. But, it was a lot more than just the QB that was making the offense look consistently dysfunctional.
Something to watch is the availability of Devante Parker. Suffering a mild hamstring injury prior to the Bucs game, Parker missed week 5 and is currently listed as questionable for the London game. This is troubling as he has been the most productive player in the room through 4 weeks and it would be another big loss to an already struggling offense if he is out for a prolonged period.
However, in his place, it should lead to a bigger opportunity for rookie first-round pick Jaylen Waddle. The young player has shown glimpses of his potential, scoring a TD in his first start and lighting up the Raiders with 12 catches, but has struggled to gain major yardage from week to week. Tua’s return should help, due to the chemistry formed between the two at Alabama, but it might be sensible to employ a “wait and see” approach to Waddle if you can. His potential in fantasy is connected so deeply with the Dolphins offense improving and there haven’t been any signs of that happening just yet. If Parker is out he should still get enough volume to be worthy of a FLEX spot, but you should not be expecting a huge number of points.
Preston Williams stepped in during the absence of Devante Parker and put in a respectful performance against the Bucs, outperforming Waddle. However, Williams will not see much usage at all if Parker is back and, even if Parker is still sidelined, Williams is still lacking the high ceiling to be worthy of a start.
Early into the season, Mike Gesicki is sitting at TE10 and this is probably around the area he will stay for the rest of the year. Aside from a disappointing week 1, Gesicki has had at least 6 targets per game and has always put in a good shift without really lighting it up. Against the 6th worst team at giving up points to TEs, expect Gesicki to have another solid showing.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence (Sit)
After a rough start to the season on possibly the worst team in the league, Trevor Lawrence finally seems to be on an upward trajectory. For the second straight game, Lawrence rushed for a score with his legs and this time added an extra TD pass to boot. That said, it is important to remember that Lawrence is on an 0-5 team that is swirling with controversy and lacks a lot of offensive talent around him. He obviously has immense potential but it is going to take a long time until the Jaguars reach the level of even a mediocre team which seriously limits his impact in fantasy. The Dolphins are a good matchup to face off against, but starting the rookie is still extremely risky and only should only be considered without any other good options.
Running Backs
James Robinson (Start, RB1), Carlos Hyde (Sit)
The Jaguars game against the Titans was the third in a row in which James Robinson reached over 20 fantasy points. There are a lot of weaknesses on this Jaguars team, but the running game has not been one of them. In each of the last 3 games, Robinson had a minimum of 15 carries, 75 yards, and a rushing TD. That is a pretty good floor to be working with. Robinson now faces off against the second-worst defense for giving up points to RBs and, with Travis Ettienne out, does not face much competition to rack up big yards by himself. It could be a very big game.
The only other notable active RB on the Jaguars roster right now is Carlos Hyde. However, while he saw a decent amount of snaps early in the season, this has been decreasing in recent weeks and he had not been able to transfer it into any real production.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Laviska Shenault Jr. (Start, FLEX), Marvin Jones (Sit), Jamal Agnew (Sit), Dan Arnold (Sit)
It has been incredibly difficult to judge the Jaguars receiving group, as no one has really stepped up to show consistent production at this early point in the season, particularly after the injury to D.J. Chark. Perhaps the most likely to have a productive game is Laviska Shenault. He has had an up and down year so far, showing flashes without a big game to really stand out. However, he is probably the pick of the group for passing the eye test and at 23 years old still has plenty of potential to have a breakout game. Against a Miami defense that has given up the 5th highest points to defenses so far this year, Shenault may not have many better chances than this to do it. He is still a risky start, but the second-year player has the highest ceiling by far of anyone in this group.
Marvin Jones had some great success early in the season but has seen a reduction in points gained every single week after week 1. This is a worrying trend. Targets, catches, and yards have all seen a massive dropoff which resulted in two very disappointing weeks for the offseason acquisition. Due to his high time spent on the field, past production in the league, and matchup there is definitely a chance for Jones to have a bounceback game, but you have to be comfortable going against significant current trends which is a tough ask.
Special teams superstar Jamal Agnew surprisingly had a decent amount of production on offense last week but you should not expect this to continue as a trend. He simply does not have the previous experience to suggest this is anything other than an outlier week.
Trade acquisition Dan Arnold has had a decent couple of weeks to start his time with the Jaguars, putting together a 6 catch, 64-yard box score against the Titans last week. There are positive signs to suggest he may have some viability later down the line, but he needs to show that he can score touchdowns in order to raise his ceiling enough to be considered a low-end starting option. With both the Panthers and Jaguars, he has not managed this so far in the year.
Statistics courtesy of Fantasy Data.
-Patrick McAndrew (@PMcAndrewNFL on Twitter)