2020 Dynasty Capsule: Miami Dolphins

Jeff Smith

Every year we give our premium content members a team-by-team, player-by-player look at the NFL season that was. The coverage will be in-depth, but because the Dynasty Capsule series begins immediately after the season, we won’t use it to discuss free agency or the draft. Come see us in early May once Mr. Irrelevant is off the board for another 32-article series giving you the same detailed discussion you’ll see below.

Buckle up dynasty fans, because you’re about to be reminded why our motto is, “There is no off-season.”

The Dolphins are poised to potentially be a good source of dynasty assets for years to come. After finishing this past season with just five wins, Miami earned a high first round pick to pair with the other two they had acquired via trade. Overall Chris Grier and the front office staff have 13 picks in April. They also entered the 2019 season as the youngest team in the league with an average age of 25.2 years old. Add all of this to some exciting young skill position players such as Preston Williams and you can see the future is bright in South Beach.

Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick (ADP: N/A)

Age: 37

As evidenced by early ADP data, Fitzpatrick is not holding much weight in startup leagues. The journeyman finished as the QB17 in 2019 despite sharing time with Josh Rosen during several games and sitting out yet another while the Dolphins experimented at the position. With one of the top quarterback prospects likely to be selected by Miami in the first round of the draft, it is difficult to predict how the position will look next season.

A look at the DLF Trade Finder shows that there is still some value here. Browsing through some recent trades, a third-round pick can be had in return, so it would be wise to explore all options before simply cutting bait with the signal caller. There is also some potential for him to start in 2020 while a rookie learns the ropes in the league, making the Harvard grad worthy of a roster spot as a bye week fill in or a backup with high end potential.

Josh Rosen (ADP: N/A)

Age: 22

It is concerning that the second-year pro could not get on the field for a team that was clearly playing for the future in 2019. Rosen was given three starts and saw some type of action in five other games. Even late in the season, coach Flores stated that they were playing whoever gave them the best chance to win. That clearly was not the UCLA alum.

He has the pedigree, the draft stock, and is still on his rookie contract. Given what the Dolphins surrendered to the Arizona Cardinals to acquire the tumultuous signal caller, you have to figure he will be given the chance to at least stay on the roster in 2020. Nonetheless, due to the murkiness at the position for a team that is revamping, it is hard to justify a spot for Rosen on your dynasty roster other than in superflex leagues.

Jake Rudock (Reserve/Future)

Age: 27

The former Michigan Wolverine has attempted five passes in three NFL seasons. There is not a dynasty league deep enough to justify him being rostered.

Running Back

Myles Gaskin (ADP: 217.33, RB68)

Age: 22

As mentioned above, the Dolphins will have 13 picks when the draft converges on Las Vegas in April. It is likely that at least one of those picks will be spent on the running back position. Ryan Fitzpatrick actually led the team in rushing (243 yards) in 2019. Gaskin was the best of the three remaining players at the position when the season ended, with an average of 3.7 yards per carry.

A tool soon to be available from DLF shows just how paltry the running back position produced once Mark Walton went knucklehead again. Not one of the backs on the roster came close to averaging ten points per game.

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The fact that the top back on the roster is the RB68 tells you all you need to know about the state of affairs in the Miami backfield.

Patrick Laird (ADP: N/A)

Age: 24

The rookie from Cal came on strong in the passing game late in the season. In four of his last five games, Laird had five targets. With the departure of Kenyan Drake to the desert and the suspension of Walton, the versatile back was forced into action.

There is some back end of the roster value for the young back. He managed double digit points in three of Miami’s last five games. Keep an eye on the moves the Dolphins make in the off-season to see if he becomes drop-able.

Kalen Ballage (ADP: N/A)

Age: 24

If running backs that have a career 3.0 yard per carry average are your preference, then Ballage is your man. In all seriousness, the second year back from Arizona State was atrocious in 2019. On the season he accumulated 135 yards on 74 carries, good for a shameful 1.8 yards per attempt.

The former Sun Devil is not a lock to be on the roster next year and probably should not be on yours. Miami can cut him before June 1st and save over half a million dollars, while taking just a $294, 590 cap it in dead money (data courtesy of Over the Cap). Ballage had his chance and likely blew it.

Samaje Perine (ADP: N/A)

Age: 24

The once coveted back latched on in Miami after spending time with the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad in 2019. He was only signed for depth due to injuries, trades and suspensions of others. The wavier wire is where he is best suited.

De’Lance Turner (ADP: N/A)

Age: 24

Similar to Perine, Turner likely will not find a spot on the roster in South Beach unless it is on the practice squad. Neither back has any guaranteed money and can be cut without consequence. Leave the Alcorn State grad on the wire with Perine.

Wide Receiver

DeVante Parker (ADP: 63.00, WR32)

Age: 27

The yearly pre-season darling finally paid off for patient owners this past season. Parker finished 2019 as the WR11 in PPR formats. This was the first time the annually over-drafted Parker finished better than a WR4 in his four years in the league. Now may be the time to sell if you are an owner. Using the Trade Analyzer, a savvy owner could get a package of Curtis Samuel plus for Parker based on his performance last season. Carolina has a new offensive minded coach in house and the offense is poised to explode.

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The Louisville grad signed a three-year extension with the Dolphins on December 19th so they obviously like him and his potential. However, the quarterback situation remains unsettled and there will be questions all off-season about whether or not the big wideout can duplicate his stellar output from a season ago. Parker also just turned 27 on January 27th so age has to start to be a factor in his value.

Preston Williams (ADP: 105.50, WR50)

Age: 22

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the very young breakout from Colorado State. Williams had character concerns coming out of college that caused him to go undrafted. The high upside talent played like a first-round pick before an ACL injury cut his season short. He saw at least five targets in every game played and finished with 32 receptions, 428 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Using another valuable tool courtesy of DLF, we see that the soon to be second-year wideout can be had cheaper than his older, riskier teammate. The ADP did skyrocket for the former CSU Ram after his early breakout. The injury may have actually helped keep the cost lower than it would have been had a full season been completed.

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Albert Wilson (ADP: 226.50, WR93)

Age: 27

What could have been . . . . Last season was supposed to be the year the big play wideout stayed healthy and paid off on his point-per-opportunity potential. Wilson only played in seven games in 2018 but a look at a new tool coming soon to DLF shows how he was able to capitalize on limited opportunities and had savvy owners taking him late in drafts in 2019.

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Alas, Wilson suffered yet another soft tissue injury early in the season. He was never a factor in an offense that often played from behind and passed the ball at a clip of 38.4 times per game, good for seventh in the NFL (data courtesy of TeamRankings). Sadly, it is too hard to trust the small-school feel good story in dynasty formats, and is best left taking up room on another owner’s roster. He will also be 28 when the 2020 season begins.

Jakeem Grant (ADP: N/A)

Age: 27

The former Texas Tech Red Raider is a core special teamer and only had 53 receptions over four seasons in the NFL. There is no value to be had here.

Allen Hurns (ADP: N/A)

Age: 28

It was interesting that a team that seemed destined to get younger would sign an aging, injury-riddled wideout to a two-year extension. That is exactly what happened on November 16th of 2019. Hurns has only played a full 16 games twice in his six-year career. It is possible he was re-signed to be a veteran presence in a young receiver room. Regardless, the former Jacksonville Jaguar and Dallas Cowboy has minimal dynasty appeal. Barring multiple injuries to the position again, he is not likely to see consistent targets on a weekly basis.

Isaiah Ford (ADP: N/A)

Age: 23

When a Harvard man is quoted as describing someone as the smartest player on the field, one has to take notice. That is what we have here with the young wideout from Virginia Tech. Ryan Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying that when he wants to know something, he asks Ford.

The wideout is still very young at just 23 and was injured in 2018. When given the opportunity to produce late in the season, the former Hokie capitalized. Over the last four games he saw 29 targets, hauling in 21 of them for 235 yards. That was good for 11.13 points per game without any touchdowns. Look for availability on your wire and stash if possible. Using yet another tool soon to be released at DLF, we can see his college profile eclipses that of those to be considered top-rated over the past couple of seasons.

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Trevor Davis (ADP: N/A)

Age: 26

Davis is an aging wideout that shuffled between three teams in 2019 and saw a total of zero targets while with the Dolphins. There is no value here.

Mack Hollins (ADP: N/A)

Age: 26

Similar to Davis, Hollins is a journeyman, aging wideout that saw a total of one target with Miami and was inactive for two of his four games while in town. The former Tarheel was also out of football in 2018.

Gary Jennings Jr. (Reserve/Future)

Age: 22

The West Virginia grad was pulled off of the Seattle Seahawks practice squad after the injury to Preston Williams. Despite all of the injuries to the position, he saw only one snap all season. It is worth noting he scored 13 touchdowns during his senior year in Morgantown.

Andy Jones (Reserve/Future)

Age: 25

Jones was signed from the practice squad to the 90-man roster after the season ended. He did not see the field in 2019.

Ricardo Louis (Reserve/Future)

Age: 25

Injuries have derailed what could have been a promising career. The former Cleveland Browns fourth round pick (114 overall) has not played in an NFL game since 2017. No need to search for him on waivers. He is there where he belongs.

TJ Rahming (Reserve/Future)

Age: 23

The UDFA from Duke put up solid numbers his senior year on Tobacco Road. Rahming averaged 10.6 yards per touch and scored eight touchdowns. There is still nothing to see here for dynasty purposes.

Tight End

Mike Gesicki (ADP: 121.17, TE15)

Age: 24

The Penn State grad had a bit of a breakout season in 2019. A look at the second-year numbers of some of the premier tight ends in the league show that he is not too far off. In fact, Gesicki scored more touchdowns than Zach Ertz did in his second season in the league (data courtesy of Pro Football Reference).

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There has to be some concern with the hiring of Chan Gailey as the new offensive coordinator. He actually started out coaching on the defensive side of the ball before switching sides and becoming the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos in 1985. There is not a great history of the well-traveled coach targeting his tight ends. Tony Gonzalez saw 155 targets in 2008 and that is about it.

The hope is Gesicki will be used as more of a wideout, and Gailey will spread the field similar to his last stint with the New York Jets. A run-heavy approach has always been his forte. There is still value to be had with Gesicki, however. As the TE15, the former Nittany Lion has some appeal.

Durham Smythe (ADP: N/A)

Age: 24

Smythe is known for his blocking, not his pass catching. The Notre Dame alum caught only 28 passes in five years in South Bend. There is zero potential for value here.

Clive Walford (ADP: N/A)

Age: 28

There were high expectations for the big tight end from the University of Miami. Drafted in the third round (68th overall) in 2015, Walford never lived up to the hype. He has never had more than 33 receptions or three touchdowns in a season. Safely leave him on the scrap heap.

Chris Myarick (Reserve/Future)

Age: 24

The former Temple walk-on is just a practice squad player and has no value in any format.

jeff smith