Las Vegas Raiders @ Miami Dolphins
Final Score: Miami 34 – Raiders 19
Writer: Steven Pintado (@CoachStevenp on Twitter)
We had a game of two teams who desperately needed to get a win this week to keep their season alive. It started slow, with a 10 to 6 game at halftime. Eventually, star players would boom, making this a higher-scoring game. The Dolphins looked like the team from last year, with big plays and scoring a season-high 34 points. While you think it was Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle having a massive game, it was tight end Jonnu Smith. The Raiders could not get the ground game going against one of the worst run defenses in football. If it weren’t for Brock Bowers, this offense would have looked even worse today.
Three Up
- Jonnu Smith – The veteran tight end continues to be a big part of this Dolphins offense as he had a season-high in receiving yards and scored two touchdowns.
- Tyreek Hill – We finally got a solid fantasy game from Tyreek Hill, who had his best fantasy performance since Week 1.
- Tua Tagovailoa – It’s about time we got a strong fantasy day from Tua Tagovailoa, who had his best performance since Week 1 of the NFL season.
Three Down
- Jaylen Waddle – While it’s a team game, Jaylen Waddle continues to struggle to put up fantasy points and has stayed under ten fantasy points since Week 2.
- Alexander Mattison – This looked like a game for Alexander Mattison to thrive, but the change in OC brought back Zamir White for touches, and he got hurt in this game as well.
- Jakobi Meyers – While Miami’s secondary is a more challenging unit, Meyers should have had more than six targets in a negative game script.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew : 30/46, 282 passing yards, 2 TDs, INT | 2 carries, 7 yards
The veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew had a decent fantasy outing in this game. Minshew threw the ball a ton with over 40 attempts. Minshew was pressured often in this game by the Dolphins’ pass rush. He didn’t have time to look around before he had a defender in his face. He attempted to get outside, but his receivers were never open on many plays. Most of his throws were short, under 10-yard attempts. It was his pass catchers that helped with his passing yards. He did, at times, help extend plays, but it’s just a non-explosive offense. His interception came in late in the fourth quarter, which seemed to be a miscommunication play with Jakobi Meyers. Minshew has been solid this week but remains an inconsistent QB3 in fantasy.
Running Back
Alexander Mattison: 5 carries, 19 yards rushing, | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 50 yards
I was disappointed in Alexander Mattison, but it was not all his fault. The change-up at OC should have led to Mattison seeing more carries in this matchup. Unfortunately, Zamir White would see early game carries that hurt Mattison’s ground game. He did run well on carries that he did have. He would get banged up in this game but continue to play. His best value continues to be in the receiving game. This is his fourth game in the last five where he had 25 plus receiving yards this season. It is tough to say what Mattison’s value is moving forward, but he is at least an RB3 in PPR leagues.
Zamir White: 6 carries, 9 yards rushing
Zamir White saw carries early in this game, but he was clearly not a good runner. Most of his carries came on the first drive of the game. He would have one more carry after halftime but later leave and not return with an injury. He doesn’t hold any fantasy value.
Ameer Abdullah: 1 carry, 1 yard rushing | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 16 yards, TD
With White out of the game in the third quarter, Ameer Abdullah enjoyed an increased workload in the Raiders offense. Abdullah is a more talented pass-catching running back, so he had targets in the fourth quarter as a check-down option. He had a 10-yard touchdown where he made a defender miss and walked into the end zone. Abdullah still doesn’t often have much value, even if White’s injury is long-term.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Brock Bowers: 16 targets, 13 receptions, 126 yards receiving, 1 TD | 1 carry, -3 yards
The best fantasy player on both teams was rookie tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers was incredible in this matchup and made big plays throughout the game. He was used on a lot of short crossing routes and would easily find the soft spot in the defense. It felt like the defense didn’t know how to stop him from getting the ball. He would make them pay by breaking tackles for extra yards on his receptions. His reception was a solid play where he broke off a tackle and had a wide-open lane to the end zone. There was a play where, if Minshew could have gotten the ball out of his hand quickly enough, Bowers may have had two touchdowns in this game. Bowers is a top tight end in fantasy.
Jakobi Meyers: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards receiving | 1 carry, 20 yards
This was a game I thought Jakobi Meyers could thrive in for fantasy. It seemed like he was catching balls all over the field, but he only had four receptions. The fantasy production would have looked bad without an early-game jet sweep that went for 20 yards. The Raiders must design more plays to get the ball to Meyers, as six targets are insufficient. Some situations could have gotten Meyers more yards. He slipped on a play that likely would have gotten him another 10 yards. He had a 15-yard catch that would get called back for a holding penalty. He could have had a better day, but the stats don’t show that. Meyers remains a solid fantasy FLEX player.
Tre Tucker: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards receiving | 1 carry, 7 yards
Second-year receiver Tre Tucker was third in targets in this game. Tucker would have a solid 22-yard catch in this game. The rest of these catches would be short throws for minimal gains. Tucker has flashed this year, but it’s clear this offense doesn’t offer enough talent to help Tucker do more. He is, at best, a WR5 in fantasy on certain weeks.
DJ Turner : 3 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards receiving
DJ Turner was used on a few designed plays that would help get him open in space. He would make the most of his opportunities in this game. He wouldn’t see a catch until the third quarter once the Dolphins started to grow their lead. Turner doesn’t offer much value in this offense.
Michael Mayer : 3 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards receiving
Second-year tight end Michael Mayer returned from injury, which had to be a boost for the offense. He was a well-rounded pass blocker for this Raiders offense. He was able to see some targets but didn’t produce with them, making a drop on a short pass. He may have had a touchdown but slipped after the catch. Mayer won’t offer much value among tight ends with rookie Brock Bowers thriving in this offense.
Ramel Keyton: 1 target
Ramel Keyton would see a red zone target in the early fourth quarter. This was just his third target this season. He doesn’t offer any value.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: 28/36, 288 passing yards, 3 TDs
Tua Tagovailoa was solid in this matchup against the Raiders. He perhaps played his best game since Week 1 of the season. He looked solid with his throws but continued not to throw the deep ball. That has been one area that Tagovailoa continues not to have in his game. Outside of that, Tua went through his progressions and consistently connected with his pass catchers. You can tell how this offense operates in this game. If Tagovailoa can get the ball out quickly, the offense can move the ball. The drive stalled when Tagovailoa would hold on to the ball too long, resulting in potential fumbles and sacks in this game. Tagovailoa has returned to the borderline QB1 conversation, as he is playing good football right now.
Running Back
DeVon Achane: 17 carries, 73 yards rushing, 1 TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 32 yards
Star running back DeVon Achane was able to bounce back with a solid fantasy outing this week. On the ground, Achane fought hard for the yards he got. It wasn’t until the second half that Achane was able to break a few runs bigger than just five yards. The Raider’s run defense did come into play, as it was supposed to be a favorable matchup. Achane made up for it with a solid 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. His role in the receiving game continues to be his strong suit, with another four reception game this season. Achane remains a safe RB1 for fantasy football.
Raheem Mostert: 3 carries, -2 yards rushing
Backup Raheem Mostert continues to lose his opportunity in this Dolphins offense. He only had three touches in a game, and the Dolphins were in a positive script for most of this game. He did have a catch that was canceled out by a penalty, but his involvement was not good for fantasy. Mostert has now three carries over the last two games and has fewer carries than Wright during that span. Mostert doesn’t have weekly value until we see more work in the offense. Most of his carries did come in the red zone, which is encouraging for that notice. He is not even an RB3 value for fantasy anymore.
Jaylen Wright: 5 carries, 4 yards rushing | 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards
The rookie running back continues to see some involvement in the Dolphins offense, but it was not a good week for Jaylen Wright. He has seen more carries than Mostert in the last two weeks, but the YPC was bad today. Wright did not look as impressive on offense today as he has shown in recent weeks. His one reception was a bad catch, and he was tackled immediately after the catch. He doesn’t offer much fantasy value right now.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 8 targets, 7 receptions, 61 yards receiving, 1 TD
Tyreek Hill finally bounced back for a good fantasy day. It was Hill’s best performance from a fantasy perspective sine Week 1. Hill was running great routes all over the field. He was used in his bread-and-butter routes in deep curls over the middle of the field and consistently made plays and produced after the catch. Tua missed Hill on a throw in the second half, but he would, later in the drive, find him for the touchdown. None of Hill’s targets were deep downfield like in past games. Hill remains a WR2 in fantasy for the time being.
Jaylen Waddle: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 37 yards receiving
It’s been challenging as a Jaylen Waddle manager right now. Since Week 1, Waddle has failed to get over ten fantasy points. In his game, Waddle’s first target was a wild throw from Tagovailoa that was tough to catch and resulted in a drop. Waddle wouldn’t get his first reception until the third quarter. Waddle would look solid on his catches as he would find separation on these receptions. Waddle receiving only three targets is a concern that he can’t even be trusted as a boom-or-bust receiver.
Jonnu Smith: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 101 yards receiving, 2 TDs
The star of the Dolphins in Week 11 has to be Jonnu Smith, who had a monster fantasy day. Smith had a season-high of 101 receiving yards in this game. Most of Smith’s receptions were short throws that showed off his YAC ability, gaining solid yardage. He also made some contested catches as well. Smith had the first touchdown of the game on a motion play that got Smith open in the flat for a short touchdown. Smith’s second touchdown was off a bad play on the defense. Smith ran a vertical route, and the defense did not cover him. Tagoviloa found him wide open, and it was a foot race to the end zone. Smith is getting into that weekly start tier in fantasy football.
Odell Beckham Jr.: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards receiving
The veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a few catches in this matchup. He saw his first end zone target in the game, which was not catchable. Beckham Jr. isn’t much of a fantasy option.
Malik Washington : 3 targets, 3 receptions, 11 yards receiving | 1 carry, 7 yards
The rookie Malik Washington is starting to get some consistent opportunity in the Dolphins offense. He is being used on designed plays to get him open in space so he can use his speed as a weapon. His targets were off-screen plays that allowed him to produce after the catch. Unless we see consistent production, Washington doesn’t have much fantasy value at this time.
Julian Hill : 3 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards receiving
Durham Smythe: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards receiving
The Dolphins’ backup tight ends saw some production after being useless last week. Julian Hill has moments of being a usable pass catcher in the Dolphins offense. This is the second time Hill has seen over two targets in the season. He won’t have much value as long as Jonnu Smith is on the field. Durham Smythe is more of a blocking tight end but did see a late fourth-quarter catch in this game.