Dolphins @ Seahawks
Final Score: Seahawks 24 – Dolphins 3
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp)
As many have expected, this was a one-sided scoring in Seattle. The Miami Dolphins had to go across time zones, and it was going to be a struggle. The team struggled on offense today with Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle as quarterbacks. Even the team’s star players were a non-factor in the game. Seattle would get off to a hot start with 17 points in the first quarter, but the Dolphins defense would slow them down the rest of the game. They ran the ball well, which allowed the team to have a lot of play-action for big plays downfield.
Three Up
- Zach Charbonnet – The second-year running back ran well today and produced big yardage. His ability to perform at a high level may make Seattle play with caution when rushing Kenneth Walker III back.
- A QB on the Market – Today’s game showed that Miami’s starting quarterback is not currently on the roster. We could see a Ryan Tannehill signing or a Bryce Young trade happen for the Dolphins.
- Noah Fant – Fant showed up today with a solid performance. His early August injury seems to be a nonissue now.
Three Down
- Tyreek Hill – I wanted to put the WHOLE Dolphins offense in it, but I can’t. Tyreek Hill can’t be a top-five receiver if he only sees five targets in the game.
- Jaylen Waddle – Waddle followed Hill in players who are down right now. He averaged 6.5 yards per reception, which is not good for fantasy.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Seattle today showed that Smith-Njigba isn’t a MUST-start player in fantasy. He is going to have his weeks with lower volume.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Skylar Thompson: 13/19, 107 yards passing
The post-Tua Tagovailoa offense looks rough with Skylar Thompson. Thompson was decent when the play was designed for him to get the ball out of his hand quickly after the snap. He would have a couple of nice throws when doing that. If he held on to the ball for more than five seconds, then most of the plays would fall apart. He would either throw it away or take the sack. He couldn’t handle the pressure the Seattle Seahawks defense was throwing at him. Thompson really doesn’t have a good deep ball, either. The few times he went over 20 yards, they were wildly inaccurate throws. Thompson did get hurt in the game, so his status for starting next week is up in the air.
Tim Boyle: 7/13, 79 yards passing | 1 carry, 6 yards rushing
Tim Boyle filled in for Thompson after his injury. He looked more calm in the pocket over Thompson. His performance was very up and down in this game. A few passes made no sense to throw into double coverage or nowhere near the receivers. He did have a beautiful, almost touchdown that was dropped. He moved the offense better than Thompson did in the game.
Running Back
DeVon Achane: 11 carries, 30 yards rushing | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards receiving
The Dolphins want DeVon Achane to be the main guy in Miami. He took most of the workload from the Dolphin’s backfield. Achane looked solid on a few runs, showing the ability to work inside and outside. I expected more rushing yards when watching him in the game than what he actually finished with. He wasn’t used in creative ways like in the prior games. Miami must allow someone else to help him in the backfield before the team overworks him. He ran well and continues to show an ability to dominate in the passing game.
Jeff Wilson: 3 carries, 14 yards
Jeff Wilson didn’t get a touch until late in the game. It seems likely he was used for garbage time more than anything. He didn’t look that great on any of his runs in this game.
Jaylen Wright: 2 carries, 17 yards
I’m not sure what Miami is doing with Jaylen Wright. He had two runs in the first half, and that’s it. He didn’t get hurt or mess up a bad play. His two runs were fantastic to watch. He looked fast and explosive on both runs. Miami needs to find a way to get him the ball more.
Alec Ingold: 1 carries, -2 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 16 yards receiving
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 40 yards receiving
Tyreek Hill wasn’t given the opportunity he usually would get with Thompson at quarterback. He had a few nice catchers where he easily beat his man, but the Seattle defense was set to tackle him upon catching the ball. He did have a bad drop on a screenplay so he could have easily gotten 10 to 15 more yards in this game. Hill’s low production may be something we have to deal with moving forward, which won’t be great for his fantasy outlook.
Jaylen Waddle: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 26 yards receiving
Jaylen Waddle did not do great in this game, but it was not his fault. Most of his targets were within seven yards of the line of scrimmage, so there were not many opportunities to do much. Waddle having a lousy game was more due to Miami’s lack of talent at quarterback. It is a concern that if Miami can’t figure out their quarterback situation, then Waddle and Hill will struggle for quality targets.
Jonnu Smith : 3 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards
Jonnu Smith returned to earth in Week 3 after a solid Week 2 performance. It was more of a quarterback situation, and Thompson did not have time to get the ball his way. He had two solid catches along the sideline. Smith’s targets per game are going to be inconsistent.
Julian Hill: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards
Durham Smythe: 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
Julian Hill had three holding penalties on him, but he had two solid catches over the middle of the field. Durham Smythe dropped a touchdown pass, which would have been amazing. Miami will continue to rotate their tight end as they all get opposites, but neither will get more than what they had today.
Tanner Conner: 2 targets, 1 reception, 1 yard
Braxton Berrios: 1 target
Erik Ezukanma: 2 targets
There is not much to say about the backup receivers. Tanner Conner had beaten his defender on a play that Thompson could not get close to, allowing him to catch the ball. Braxton Berrios saw a target with a defender all over him by the time the ball reached him.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 26/34, 289 yards passing, TD, 2 INTs | 2 carries, -2 yard rushing
Geno Smith had another solid fantasy day. He threw the ball well and moved around in the pocket to extend plays. Smith looked great in the pocket and threw passes accurately to his pass catcher. His two turnovers were only partly his fault. In his first one, he was trying to avoid a safety in the game and tossed it a little too high for his pass catcher. The second was a deflect at the line of scrimmage that went high to a defender. Smith looks like his 2022 self in this Seattle offense and should continue to be a solid fantasy option moving forward.
Running Back
Zach Charbonnet: 18 carries, 91 yards rushing, 2 TDs | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 16 yards receiving
Zach Charbonnet put up a great performance in Week 3. He was a bulldozer of a running back by breaking tackles and gaining yards after contact. He showed off patience, allowing running lanes to open up, and he would explode through them. His most impressive run was his second touchdown late in the game. He looked good throughout this game with his blocking, receiving, and rushing. He picked up his blocks well and caught the ball to make solid plays. Charbonnet is the lead running back with RB1 potential as long as Kenneth Walker III is out of games.
Zach Charbonnet in Week 3:
18 rushes (100% team share)
91 yards
2 TD
3-16-0 receiving on 4 targetspic.twitter.com/gINct0YusZ— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 22, 2024
Kenny McIntosh: 3 carries, 11 yards rushing
The second-year running back got a few touches this week for Seattle. He didn’t look at all that good on his runs. He didn’t run with explosiveness or strength. There is a reason he didn’t get many touches until the game’s final drive.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
D.K. Metcalf: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 104 yards receiving, TD
D.K. Metcalf had the play of the game with his 71-yard touchdown. He faked out the safety with his footwork and had at least five yards on the defender after his catch. Metcalf has back-to-back long touchdown games now. This is the type of receiver he is for fantasy football. He’ll likely not often be a high target receiver, but he’ll give you a great chance to take a long one to the house. Metcalf looked great in the opportunities that were given to him. He even showed off some strength, snagging a ball over the head of the cornerback Kyle Fuller early in the game.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 39 yarads receiving
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was disappointed in his game. After being a spectator in Week 2, he went missing in Week 3. A lot of his routes were underneath and short. When he did catch the ball, he showed off the speed and yards-after-catch ability he offers. It may have been the team didn’t need him to do much being up big early in the game. It makes sense that Smith-Njigba wasn’t a featured target receiver in this game. His fantasy value is going to be inconsistent moving forward.
Tyler Lockett: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 46 yards receiving
Tyler Lockett told us he is still in this offense after a quiet Week 2. Lockett looked good, finding the soft spots in zone coverage to get easy 10-yard catches. He played often across from Jalen Ramsey, so he couldn’t do much. He had a few critical first downs on these catches.
Noah Fant: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 60 yards receiving
Noah Fant looked really solid in this game. He was being used as a safety blanket underneath for Smith. Fant was dealing with an injury during training camp but looked healthy. He looked fast and quick after the catch. The Dolphins linebackers had no answer to stop Fant from finding space over the middle. We can only hope Fant can keep up this opportunity since he hasn’t been featured much since coming to Seattle.
AJ Barner : 3 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards receiving
Pharaoh Brown : 1 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards receiving
Laviska Shenault Jr : 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards receiving
There is not much to say about these players in back up roles. AJ Barner showed off some strength and tackle-breaking ability with a few of his catches in this game. None made a significant impact on the game or fantasy.