Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins
Overall, this game can be summed up by saying, “Oh yeah, that’s what I thought was going to happen.” Things got a little dicey when our favorite running back, Devin Singletary put the ball on the ground for a second time, but the Bills’ victory was never really in question.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
- Josh Allen: 21/33, 256 yards, 3 TD | 7 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD
Josh Allen sure does love playing against the Dolphins, and why shouldn’t he? Allen carried the Bills’ offense and found John Brown for touchdowns twice – once on a short target and once on a deep ball. The truth is this game was out of hand relatively early, as the Bills were up by 16 following their first possession of the second half. We saw Allen scramble when he needed to, but was fairly efficient throwing the ball as he completed three of his six deep balls and had one that fell incomplete due to a defensive holding call. Allen remains startable in decent matchups moving forward.
Running Backs
- Devin Singletary: 15 carries, 75 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards, 2 fumbles
- Frank Gore: 11 carries, 27 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 18 yards
Devin Singletary had his moments today, both good and bad. He had a couple nice runs, but he needs to hold onto the ball, as he fumbled twice. Granted, the Bills didn’t lose the ball either time and Singletary still played on 72% of the Bills snaps, but following the second fumble, Frank Gore had eight carries+targets, while Singletary had just four. Singletary was the better back, but putting the ball on the ground is a good way to get into your coach’s dog house.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- John Brown: 14 targets, 9 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD
- Dawson Knox: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards, 1 TD
- Cole Beasley: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 38 yards
- Isaiah McKenzie: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 21 yards | 1 carry, 10 yards
There’s no doubt who Josh Allen’s favorite target is, as John Brown has now seen 40 targets over his last four games. Brown saw five red-zone targets and had a deep ball fall incomplete on a play that resulted in a defensive holding penalty. Brown remains a high-end WR2 moving forward. The rest of this passing game is just really spread out. Dawson Knox found the end zone, but with just three targets, he’s stuck in that glob of tight ends that you’re praying for a touchdown each week. Cole Beasley saw his usual short workload that comes with a very low aDOT and very low upside. Beasley is an extreme floor play in PPR leagues. Isaiah McKenzie saw six targets this week. I like McKenzie’s hustle as every time he touches the ball he looks ready to make a big play happen, but with such a low aDOT, his upside is limited for now.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
- Ryan Fitzpatrick: 32/45, 323 yards, 7 Sacks | 1 carries, 0 yards
I feel like I you look at Ryan Fitzpatrick’s line, along with Kalen Ballage’s, you’d know exactly how this game went down for the Dolphins. They failed to establish the run and any time Fitzpatrick got the ball moving through the air, he took a sack, eliminating the Dolphins momentum. Fitzpatrick completed four of his six deep passes, although one was to Allen Hurns that ended up being a fumble lost. You have to give Fitzpatrick credit as he managed to turn in an okay performance while being surrounded by the cast from the Isle of Misfit Toys.
Running Backs
- Kalen Ballage: 9 carries, 9 yards, 1 TD | 6 targets, 5 catches, 8 yards
- Patrick Laird: 1 carry, 7 yards | 6 targets, 6 catches, 51 yards
I wrote up Kalen Ballage as a decent DFS play this week thinking he’d get the majority of the work. Well, he did handle nine of eleven running back carries, but was just so bad. You’d have to be desperate to be rolling out Ballage in fantasy. With Fitzpatrick completely desperate, he found Patrick Laird in the passing game six times. He looked better than Ballage, but that’s not a high bar.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- DeVante Parker: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 135 yards
- Allen Hurns: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 53 yards, 1 fumble lost
- Mike Gesicki: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards
DeVante Parker looked like the receiver I was expecting to get when I drafted him relatively early three years ago, catching seven of his ten targets. Parker managed to catch both of his deep targets for 95 yards and saw one red-zone target. Allen Hurns came back to fantasy relevancy, but quickly wished he stayed in the shadows after losing a fumble on a deep grab. He also had one red-zone target. Mike Gesicki saw six targets today, but managed just 18 yards on four catches. Other than Parker, it’s very difficult to trust any of the pass catchers in this offense.
-Rich Holman