Miami Dolphins @ Houston Texans
Final Score: Texans 20 – Dolphins 12
Writer: Steven Pintado (@Coachstevenp on Twitter)
We had two AFC teams fighting for their playoff chances, and at the end of this game, it came down to toughness and turnovers. The Dolphins continue to show they can beat good teams or finish drives. Tua Tagovailoa was today’s Achilles heel for the Dolphins offense, with four turnovers. Most of the Dolphins’ skilled players had average fantasy performances. The Texans took advantage of the turnovers they got on defense and scored a few touchdowns. C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins’ chemistry in the red zone helped this team win. It wasn’t a very exciting matchup if you were looking for big plays.
Three Up
- Malik Washington –The rookie receiver had his best receiving day of his career. Washington was used all over the offense and made plays with his speed to significant gains.
- Jonnu Smith –Smith was Tagovailoa’s safety blanket and was a reliable target in the offense. He also led the team in targets and had Miami’s only touchdown.
- Nico Collins –It wasn’t a big yardage day for Collins, but he showed off his skills to move around for his quarterback to find two touchdowns in this game.
Three Down
- Tua Tagovailoa –The Dolphins quarterback had a horrible passing day. He seems off with his receivers and caused four turnovers in this game.
- Jaylen Waddle –I hate putting someone down when they get injured, but Waddle finished half the game with two targets and nothing more.
- MIAMI’s offensive line –The Dolphins OL was the horrible team. They caused many holding penalties, and there was not much time for their quarterback in the pocket today.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: 29/40, 196 yards passing, 1 TD, 3 INT, FUM
The Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had one of his worst days as a Dolphins this season. At the same time, some of it wasn’t this fault, like having little to no time to wait for plays to develop, thanks to the offensive line. One of his turnovers was slightly Tyreek Hill’s fault, as he got the ball stolen from him. Tagovailoa was not great as a passer in this game. He didn’t seem to have much of a connection with Jaylen Waddle or Hill in this game. He wasn’t able to connect with Hill until the third quarter. He didn’t see the defensive converge well in two of his three interceptions and threw right to the defender. Whether it’s the play calling or himself, Tagovailoa isn’t throwing the ball deep anymore, which killed him in this game. His only score of the day was a beautiful pass to Jonnu Smith to only where he could catch it. We can all be hopeful that Tagovailoa can bounce back next week for the Dolphins and Fantasy.
Running Back
De’Von Achane: 12 carries, 41 yards rushing | 7 targets, 7 receptions, 35 yards
De’Von Achane had one of his average fantasy days in Week 15. Achane continues to carry out the bulk of the backfield work. Achane didn’t see many holes to run on the ground in this game. Each time he got a carry, he seemed to find himself in front of a wall of defenders. He attempts to make a play but doesn’t get any big runs in this game. He did have one solid run that was called back by a holding penalty, and he almost lost a fumble. Achane’s value was in the receiving game, where he was targeted throughout the game. Achane, in space, continues to show that he is dominant with the ball in his hand. He should remain a high-end RB1 moving forward, especially in PPR leagues.
Raheem Mostert: 6 carries, 8 yards rushing | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards
Backup Raheem Mostert didn’t make much of an impact in this game. His runs lacked the explosiveness that he showed off last season. He was used on a few dump-off passes, but there was no real impact for the Dolphins. He remains strictly a handcuff in fantasy.
Jaylen Wright: 1 carry, 3 yards rushing
Rookie Jaylen Wright had one touch in the third quarter of this game. Wright’s usage will continue to disappoint the rest of the 2024 season.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 36 yards receiving
We are back to another bad outing for Tryeek Hill after starting to trust him again in fantasy. Hill and Tagovailoa were not on the same page in this game. They were off on their connection, and he didn’t see a catch until the third quarter. He had only two solid grabs in this game but did not impact fantasy. Hill was targeted on two of Tagovailoa’s interceptions in this game. The second pick was partly Hill’s fault since he had the ball in this game, but Devin Stingley Jr. took it from his hands. You have to hope that Hill can bounce back next week for our lineups.
Jaylen Waddle: 2 targets
There is not much to say about Jaylen Waddle here. Waddle’s two targets were not catchable due to bad throws from Tagovailoa. He could have had a solid catch and run if a particular play did the WR screen instead of the RB screen. I didn’t see him after halftime due to an injury.
Jonnu Smith: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 48 yards receiving, TD
Jonnu Smith was the best player on the Dolphins’ offense today. Smith continues to have a big impact on this Dolphins offense with a double-digit target game. Smith was Tagovailoa’s safety blanket underneath, and Smith was always open. His physical play style made it easy to throw him the ball for a solid gain. His touchdown grab was very impressive as he was in stride going across the back of the endzone. Smith is a must-start tight end in fantasy due to his involvement in the Dolphins offense and the fact that he is also seeing a big target share.
Malik Washington: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 52 yards receiving
Rookie Malik Washington stepped up in this game with an extended playing time. The team let go of Odell Beckham Jr., and Waddle got hurt in the first half, opening the door more for Washington. Washington was used like Achane as a player to get into space and allow them to do work. Washington showed off that elite speed that he offers. He was used on screenplays and in space to show off that speed. Washington is a very interesting player moving forward due to the skill set he offers this Dolphins offense.
River Cracraft: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards receiving
Grant DuBose: 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards receiving
Durham Smythe: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards receiving
We have three Dolphins players who don’t make much of an impact, and most of their targets were in the fourth quarter. Grant DuBose took a nasty hit, and I pray he is okay.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
CJ Stroud: 18/26, 131 yards passing, 2 TDs | 6 carries, 4 yards
C.J. Stroud continues to do just enough to help out his Texans team. Stroud was average at best in this game. Throughout this game, Stroud didn’t push the ball downfield and took safe throws to open receivers. His best moments were his two touchdowns, as he could stay calm in the pocket and extend the plays to find Nico Collins in the endzone. His one mistake was that he caused the only turnover from the Texans in this game. Stroud did his best not to lose the game rather than help them win it. He doesn’t have much upside in fantasy.
Running Back
Joe Mixon: 12 carries, 23 yards rushing | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 33 yards
The Texans’ star running back, Joe Mixon, was pretty average in this game. Mixon couldn’t get much of the ground against a struggling Dolphins team versus the run. Mixon could find many holes to push the ball up the field. He was consistently in poor situations on his runs. Mixon’s receiving game is what kept his fantasy relevant in this game. He would have 5 of his six targets in the second half of the game. He was a check-down option and gained yards on each catch. We should expect Mixon to have better games moving forward.
Dare Ogunbowale: 1 carry, 35 yards rushing.
Dare Ogunbowale had a special team sneak run that caught the Dolphins special teams off guard, which led to a 35-yard gain. He was also missed on a potential wide-open touchdown during Stroud’s first touchdown pass.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Nico Collins: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 17 yards receiving, 2 TDs
For the most part, Nico Collins’ day was just okay with his two touchdowns. On both of his touchdowns, he was able to read Stroud and move around in the endzone to find an opening for him. His second touchdown was a sideline catch, which was impressive. Collins didn’t get much of a chance to shine on his other receptions. Collins was an open offer, but Stroud didn’t look his way all that much. As long as Collins continues to be a big part of the red zone, then the yards don’t matter.
Tank Dell: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 26 yards receiving | 1 carry, 15 yards
Tank Dell’s performance stuck out to me when writing this game. Dell had a WR reverse that allowed him to make a few defender misses in the backfield and then turn upfield for a big game. Dell’s ability to get on allowed him to get two easy receptions early in this game. Dell needs more work, as he has the talent to do more than what the Texans showed us today.
John Metchie: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yarrds receiving
John Metchie could have had a better game compared to his stats. Metchie would also see his two receptions early in the game off solid routes. He was able to find separation on both of his receptions. His mistake was that he could have had a lone touchdown or a big gain as he dropped an open target. He beat his defender and took a step on them deep but would drop the ball.
Xavier Hutchinson: 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards receiving
Xavier Hutchinson wasn’t used much in this game. On a diving catch, he would have his lone reception in the fourth quarter. He doesn’t offer much of an impact.
Dalton Schultz: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards receiving
Tight end Dalton Schultz was a little disappointing in this game. It was a solid matchup, and he didn’t have rookie Cade Stover in the game. Schultz didn’t see a target until the second quarter of the game. His two receptions were short underneath receptions, where he gained 6 to 7 yards. Schultz isn’t a consistent tight end option for fantasy lineups.
Bob Woods: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards receiving
Bob Woods would see two back-to-back targets in the first quarter of his game. His second catch was off a wide receiver screen, and he would almost lose the ball to Miami.