Bills @ Dolphins
Final Score: Dolphins 21, Bills 19
Writer: Brett Ford (@fadethatman on Twitter)
If I told you that Josh Allen threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns, you would assume that the Bills either won the game handily or lost in a shootout, right? Well, neither was the case in Miami on Sunday.
The Miami Dolphins backed up their fourth-quarter performance last weekend in Baltimore with a strong showing against Super Bowl favorites and AFC East rival Buffalo, defeating the Bills, 21-19. Tua assumed the role of a competent game manager in this game, as he helped the home team win the field position battle for the most part. Meanwhile, the Dolphins’ defense executed the old “Bend but Don’t Break” strategy perfectly, somehow holding the Bills to just five points over the final 42 minutes of game time to secure the victory.
Let’s dig in.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 42/63, 400 Yards, 2 TD | 8 Carries, 47 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost), 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Josh Allen continues to cement himself week in and week out as one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in the league, recording at least 30 fantasy points for the third-consecutive week. He made nearly every throw he needed to and had the Bills’ offense in position to win the game in spite of all of their well-documented injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
However, Allen and the Bills’ offense botched both the end of the first half and end of the game situations. At the end of the first half, instead of spiking the ball and killing the clock for a field goal on the final play of the half, Allen inexplicably decided to fake the spike and throw to Stefon Diggs on the sideline. The completion gained the first down, but not before time expired ending the half.
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With time running out at the end of the game, Allen completed a pass to Isaiah McKenzie to get the Bills into range for Tyler Bass to attempt a game-winning kick, but the offense couldn’t get to the line to kill the clock fast enough allowing the final seconds to wind off the clock. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was… unhappy.
Bills OC Ken Dorsey was not happy at the end of the game. pic.twitter.com/F7Jp5IMlFP
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 25, 2022
Running Back
Devin Singletary: 9 Carries, 13 Yards | 11 Targets, 9 Receptions, 78 Yards, TD
Reggie Gilliam: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Zack Moss: 4 Carries, 46 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
James Cook: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 37 Yards
Devin Singletary is still the go-to running back of this group, as he received the lion’s share of the work in this committee. Singletary more than doubled any other running back in carries and commanded a team-high 11 targets, securing nine of them for a career-high 78 receiving yards and a score.
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Zack Moss got just four carries and one target as his role in the Bills’ offense continues to shrink. He did, however, pop off for a 43-yard run around the outside, gaining the edge on the cornerback and beating him for a big gain.
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James Cook is beginning to look like the second back in this backfield, creeping past Moss in the hierarchy. He caught four of his five targets, including one designed play with Cook split out wide. It appears he has regained the trust of the coaching staff after he fumbled on his first NFL carry in Week 1, and could begin to steal work from Singletary in the coming weeks. In deep leagues, he’s a player to target on waivers.
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Wide Receiver/Tight End
Stefon Diggs: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 74 Yards
Isaiah McKenzie: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 76 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 6 Yards
Dawson Knox: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 25 Yards
Jamison Crowder: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Gabriel Davis: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards
Jake Kumerow: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards
Quintin Morris: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
With Gabriel Davis nursing an injury coming into the game and Stefon Diggs struggling with what appeared to be cramps and heat-induced discomfort throughout the contest, Isaiah McKenzie stepped up for the Bills. McKenzie caught a season-high seven passes for 76 yards and a touchdown and looked like the freshest and healthiest receiver the Bills had.
https://gfycat.com/heartfeltgroundedkid
Despite a lame ankle, Gabriel Davis likely should have had a better day than he ended up with. Davis had a touchdown catch well in hand, pulling in a fade route in man-to-man coverage in the third quarter. The Miami defender did a great job of punching the ball out before he could complete the catch though, so it went as a drop instead.
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Stefon Diggs was in and out of the game with what appeared to be cramps in the second half. He still managed to catch seven balls for 74 yards but did not look like his typical dominant self in the Miami sunshine on Sunday. Tight end Dawson Knox continues to disappoint fantasy owners. Though he did pull in four catches, he was a non-factor in the red zone and still has not recorded a touchdown through three weeks.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagavailoa: 13/18, 186 Yards, TD | 1 Carry
Teddy Bridgewater: 0/2
Tua Tagavailoa was not nearly as productive as he was a week ago but still managed a decent stat line, including a touchdown pass to River Cracraft for the second-consecutive week.
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Tua did step out of the game for one drive before halftime with an injury, but was back in for the second half and looked okay. It could be something to monitor going forward, but it appears to have been just a precaution.
With only 18 pass attempts compared to last week’s 50 throws, this is the type of Tua that fantasy managers should probably expect moving forward. His six-touchdown performance last week was sexy, but shouldn’t be expected on a weekly basis.
Running Back
Chase Edmonds: 6 Carries, 21 Yards, 2 TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Raheem Mostert: 8 Carries, 11 Yards | 2 Targets
Alec Ingold: 1 Carry | 1 Target
The Dolphins’ backfield is almost as messy as the Bills, but at least this is only a two-headed monster. Raheem Mostert received a team-high eight carries but generated only 11 yards rushing against the Bills’ stout front seven. Chase Edmonds ran the ball eight times but got the rock when it mattered most, punching in two rushing touchdowns from one yard and three yards out.
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It should be noted that Edmonds’ first rushing touchdown came on the Dolphins’ third attempt to punch it in from the one, coming after unsuccessful attempts by Tua and fullback Alec Ingold. Edmonds was also targeted in the red zone on an angle route out of the backfield but was led directly into a massive collision (that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty). The target would have resulted in a touchdown had he pulled it in, but Edmonds rushed for a three-yard score on the very next play.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 33 Yards
Jaylen Waddle: 1 Carry, 9 Yards | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 102 Yards
Mike Gesicki: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Trent Sherfield: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Durham Smythe: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 23 Yards
River Cracraft: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards, TD
I said this last week in my write-up of the Dolphins-Ravens game, and I’ll say it again. Jaylen Waddle is the alpha wide receiver in this offense. The second-year wide receiver had more targets and more catches than Hill, who was a relative non-factor despite lining up against Buffalo’s backup secondary.
Waddle led the team with a 30% target share (6-of-20). He gained almost half of his yardage on a 45-yard catch and run and another 25 yards when he found a soft spot in what looked like zone coverage.
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With only 13 total completed passes in this game, the Miami pass-catchers outside of Waddle were mostly unproductive. Of note, Durham Smythe earned three catches on three targets while Mike Gesicki recorded just one. Aside from Waddle and Hill, none of the Dolphins’ receivers or tight ends are worthy of a fantasy roster spot.
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