Start/Sit: Dolphins Fantasy Football Preview Week 17
The Dolphins clinched their first playoff berth in eight years last week. They still have much to play for, however, against their division rival Patriots in the regular season finale.
The Miami Dolphins and their fans received a Christmas present this week as the Dolphins clinched their first playoff berth since 2008. After defeating Buffalo in overtime on Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs did their part by eliminating the Denver Broncos from playoff contention, allowing Miami to claim the final playoff spot. The buildup for this week’s game against the New England Patriots has cooled off some as a result, but the Dolphins still have something to play for. As do the Patriots.
Miami can still get the 5th seed in the AFC with a win over the Patriots, and a Chiefs loss to the San Diego Chargers. The difference would be a Wild-Card meeting against the Houston Texans rather than traveling to the cold weather in Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. The Patriots, on the other hand, can officially clinch home-field advantage in the playoffs with a win or Oakland loss. New England has a top 10 defense, but the Dolphins have scored 34 points in consecutive weeks now, proving the offense hasn’t lost a step since Ryan Tannehill went down with an injury.
The majority of fantasy league championships concluded last week, but some will continue on in Week 17. Even if your league has finished, we’ll take a look at some daily fantasy options in this week’s start/sit session.
Moore got off to a rough start last week in Buffalo, but he looked sharp in the second half. Some of that success was a result of bad tackling on the part of the Bills. Giving up 240 passing yards a game, the Patriots rank just behind the Dolphins in that category. Moore has thrown for 236 and 233 yards, respectively, in his two starts. He is sure to be happy that he gets to start in sunny South Florida after playing in 40 degrees these last two weeks. While Moore could wrap up a lot of passing yards this week, the Patriots lead the league in points allowed (15.7), proving their discipline at keeping opponents out of the end zone. In fantasy football, passing yards are not enough if touchdowns don’t come as a result.
Sit
After Matt Moore was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week last week, Jay Ajayi was given the honor this week. I was one of the people who didn’t believe that Ajayi could repeat his performance against Buffalo compared to how he shredded them in their earlier meeting. However, that’s exactly what he did. Adam Gase was determined to put the game in the hands of Ajayi, and he delivered.
Ajayi appeared to favor his left shoulder, however, near the end of the game. Coming off of 32 rushing attempts against the Bills, the Dolphins could decide to limit his workload this week. Miami has something to play for, but they don’t want to risk losing their top running back for the playoffs. Factor in that the Patriots give up just 89.5 rushing yards per game, Ajayi is not worth the risk to start in fantasy lineups.
Sit
Landry had his best game yardage wise against the Patriots in Week 2, but that was with Ryan Tannehill under center. Since Matt Moore has started, Landry has caught just three receptions in each game. As the Dolphins leading receiver, teams seem to key on Landry more, opening up opportunities for Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker. He’s a full boom-or-bust option this week in daily leagues, but the price tag has me looking at other options.
Sit
Kenny Stills
Stills continues to produce at a high level, despite a low reception total. His 38 receptions are far below that of Landry and Parker, but his eight touchdowns exceeds that of both players combined. His ability to get behind defenses has made him the legitimate deep-threat that the Dolphins were hoping he would be since trading for him in last year’s offseason. His low reception total keeps his daily fantasy price at almost the bare minimum. Therefore, I’m willing to take a gamble on him against the Patriots, who he scored against in Week 2.
Start
DeVante Parker
The real DeVante Parker likes to stand up when he plays against the Patriots. Dating back to last season’s regular season finale, Parker has a pair of 106-yard games against New England. It may be as a result of all the attention that Landry gets, or maybe Parker just gets fired up playing against the Dolphins divisional foe. Either way, Parker is an interesting option in daily leagues, and my personal projection for Miami’s stud of the week.
Start
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