Cardinals @ Dolphins
Final Score: Cardinals 28 – Dolphins 27
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp on Twitter)
Overall, this game was fascinating, with big plays and clutch moments. With Tua Tagovailoa back on the field, the Dolphins look back in sync. The Dolphins’ offense moved the ball efficiently, as both the passing and running game looked good. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they gave up a key safety, which was the moment shifter of this game. For the Cardinals, they got off to a slow start in the first half. They made the offense simple in the second half by running the game well and targeting their stars, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride. This was one of the most exciting finishes of Week 8.
Three Up
- Trey McBride – The Arizona tight end had an elite fantasy day as he led all pass catchers in receiving stats in this game. He did this even with Harrison having a great game.
- Tua Tagovailoa – It was great to see Tagovailoa back on the field for this game. He didn’t look as rusty or out of sync as you think for someone who hasn’t played in a month.
- Tyreek Hill – While Tyreek Hill didn’t have that blow-up game everyone was hoping for, he had his best game in over a month in fantasy.
Three Down
- Jaylen Waddle – Unfortunately, with Tagovailoa back, Jaylen Waddle isn’t going to lead this team in targets any time soon. He had a big drop in this game.
- Jonnu Smith – The veteran tight end is turning back into the fourth option with Tagovailoa back as the quarterback.
- De’Von Achane’s Redzone Touches – While De’Von Achane had a great fantasy week, he could have had a better one if he saw the few red zone touches leading to Raheem Mostert scoring twice within the ten.
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
Kyler Murray : 26/36, 307 yards passing , 2 TDs | 5 carries, 19 yards rushing
Kyler Murray was a man of two halves in this football game. He was very mediocre in the first half, getting his passes batted down at the line of scrimmage early in the game. He wasn’t running the ball that much and was having issues connecting with his receivers. He had a few passes in the first half that were very elite throws, but it was inconsistent. He did buy time to move the defense around to find a wide-open Michael Wilson for a touchdown.
In the second half, Murray looked calmer in the pocket. He threw for 230 passing yards in the second half of this game and often found his star pass catchers over the middle of the field. He used his legs to extend plays in this game to find his players open. His touchdown to Harrison in the second half was a beautiful fade to where only his receiver would come down with the ball. Murray will continue to have QB1 upside as long as he can play like this.
Running Back
James Conner: 20 carries, 53 yards rushing, 1 TD | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
The veteran running back did not have a great day of efficiency in Week 8. James Conner would average 2.6 yards per carry but had a fantasy-saving touchdown. Conner would often get bottled up by the Dolphins’ run defense in the early portion of this game. It wasn’t until the second half of this game that Conner was getting freed up for some decent runs. When he could find a hole, he showed off his physical by breaking tackles and gaining more yards. Conner had a big workload in this offense, with 20 carries, and the rest of the backfield had only two touches total. Conner is a high-end RB2 in fantasy.
Trey Benson: 1 carry, 10 yards rushing
Emari Demercado: 1 target
The Cardinals’ backups didn’t get much opportunity in this game. Trey Benson had an impressive run, and he broke a few tackles. Both running backs aren’t fantasy-relevant as long as Conner remains healthy on this team.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 111 yards receiving, 1 TD
Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. had the best game of his career. The offense made it a point to get the ball to their star receiver in this game. Harrison dominated the Dolphins’ secondary and was able to create separation. Murray also had more time and could extend plays, which helped Harrison get the ball more. He had a few elite catches in this game. The first was his touchdown in the second half of the game, where he had a diving toe touch catch for the sore. He also showed off his strength during a couple of contested catch plays with multiple defenders on him. We can only hope that the Cardinals continue to feed Harrison the ball, but they won’t get an easy matchup like this every week.
Trey McBride: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 124 yards receiving
McBride was nothing short of brilliant in this game. He showed off his talent by beating zone defense and making the tough catches. McBride was used in many underneath routes, where he could get upfield and gain yards after the catch. He led the Cardinals in targets in this game and seemed open with every one of his catches. When this offense is clicking, McBride is a big part of that reason. He remains a high-end TE1.
Michael Wilson : 6 targets, 5 receptions, 31 yards receving, 1 TD
Wilson continues to be a threat when it comes to touchdowns in this Cardinals offense. He was third in targets and was decent overall. His touchdown was due to blown coverage, and he was wide open with zero Dolphins around him in the back of the endzone. Wilson is more of a WR5 value but continues to have a small role in this offense.
Elijah Higgins: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards receiving
Backup tight end Elijah Higgins had one nice catch that got him to the 1-yard line to set up a touchdown for the Cardinals. He has upside but is not relevant with McBride on the field.
Greg Dortch: 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards receiving
Zay Jones: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards receiving
The Cardinals’ third and fourth-string receivers don’t have much relevance in this offense. Greg Dortch had a nice short catch, showing off his speed. Zay Jones is still working his way back on the field after missing time in the early portion of the season due to a suspension.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa : 28/38, 234 yards passing, 1 TD | 3 carries, 13 yards
Tagovailoa played in his first game since suffering the gruesome injury back in Week 2. For someone who hasn’t played in a month, Tagovailoa played well. He made this offense look fast again and helped move the ball quickly down the field. He got the ball to his star receivers early and often in this game. The coaching staff set up many on-screen plays for Tagovailoa to get the ball out quickly. He even had a big run over ten yards that he would slide when a defender got close. One of his best throws was an over-the-shoulder catch to Hill that was perfectly thrown.
There were a few small issues with Tagovailoa, like timing with his offensive line and just in-game experience. The Cardinals did adjust with a lot of pressure in the second half, which forced Tagovailoa to make the quick dump-off throws instead of down the field. If Tagovailoa is on the field, this Dolphins offense will be good for fantasy.
Running Back
De’Von Achane: 10 carries, 97 yards rushing | 8 targets, 6 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD
Star running back De’Von Achane had a fantastic game in Week 8. Achane looked impressive on the ground, with a big run and burst once he got the ball. He had the game’s biggest play with a 47-yard run when he took defenders with him for extra yards. Achane saw plenty of dump-offs and designed targets going his way in the passing game. He was able to catch and run for yards. Achane’s only issue was that Mostert took away two of his red zone touches that went for touchdowns. Achane’s upside is back now that Tagovailoa is on the field.
Raheem Mostert: 9 carries, 19 yards rushing, 2 TD | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
The veteran running back didn’t have a great game with his yardage. He had ten touches for 30 yards in this game. Mostert was used plenty in the red zone with two big touchdowns. Mostert is clearly the backup in Miami but may have bye-week value as a running back if he continues to see touches in the red zone. Mostert didn’t run well, outside of when he scored his touchdowns.
Jaylen Wright: 2 carries, 18 yards rushing
Rookie Jaylen Wright continues to be limited in his touches in this backfield. He showed off his burst and speed on one run when he was able to get to the outside and up the field. Biggest third-string handcuff in the game.
Alec Ingold: 1 carry, 3 yards rushing | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards receiving
Fullback Alec Ingold continues to be part of the Dolphins offense. He had a nice wheel route early in the game, but the rest of the day was mostly quiet.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 72 yards receiving
Hill may have overhyped our fantasy expectations for Week 8, but the light is ahead. Hill was an early target for Tagovailoa in his return. Hill showed off his speed and yards after the catch ability in this game and was able to find space and gain yards for the offense. He also had a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch thrown by Tagovailoa in this game. The biggest issue was Hill only had one target in the second half. The Cardinals made adjustments to take him out of this game. The Cardinals’ front seven created pressure and did not allow Tagovailoa time to find Hill downfield. Hill will see better games now that Tagovailoa is on the field.
Jaylen Waddle: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 45 yards receiving
Waddle was a disappointment to me in this game. Unfortunately, we must deal with Waddle, who is likely a boom/bust receiver in this offense. Waddle could have done better since he had a target that he easily dropped. His other incomplete target wasn’t his fault, as the ball was batted up and away from Waddle. He was wide open on that play, which could have had big gains. Most of Waddle’s catches were short and not downfield. Waddle is going to be a boom-or-bust FLEX until this offense gets going.
Jonnu Smith: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 20 yards
Tight end Jonnu Smith could not keep up his production, which we’ve seen in the prior few weeks. Smith did show some contest catch ability as a bigger-bodied target in the offense. He had a bad drop in the first half of this game. He was mainly used as a short area receiver for easy 5 to 7-yard catches. Smith is a low TE2 in fantasy but has a weak upside in the right situation.
Julian Hill: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 11 yards rececving
Backup tight end Julian Hill continues to be a short-area target for the Dolphins quarterbacks. He almost had a costly fumble within the red zone. There is no relevant value for Hill.
Dee Eskridge: 1 target, 1 receptions, 6 yards receiving
He saw a catch in the first half of the game. Outside of Hill and Waddle, no other Dolphins receivers are relevant in fantasy.