Miami

Dolphins

The club is still evaluating how much time Phillips will need to miss, but it’s not surprising that he won’t be up for Week 5 after Miami quickly ruled him out on Monday night. Miami’s Week 6 bye will give them a little more time to figure out the situation. It’s possible he winds up on injured reserve.

We simply can’t trust any of Miami’s once-reliable fantasy weapons until we see better at quarterback, and Huntley was ghastly last week. McDaniel was quoted as saying: “after reviewing the tape, there’s reason for guys to be excited about [Huntley] ... There were some things to build upon, and we’re excited to do that tomorrow.” It’s possible that another week of practice in the system will help Huntley play better than he did on Monday night. It’s hard to believe he’ll be better enough to do more than make Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Devon Achane FLEX options against the Patriots.

In theory, it would be great for the Dolphins to have a third quality receiver on the field. In actuality, it probably won’t matter until Tua Tagovailoa returns. The Dolphins will have 21 days to activate him from the PUP list, meaning Beckham won’t necessarily return this week. He might be worth a stash in the deepest of the deep leagues with the idea that the Dolphins offense will be back on track in Week 8 after Tagovailoa is eligible to return.

In a separate radio interview, Schefter said he thinks Tagovailoa is “going to be back” and “it would be more surprising if Tua didn’t come back.” Tagovailoa is reportedly symptom-free and none of the neurologists he has consulted has encouraged him to retire. On injured reserve, Tagovailoa is required to miss the Dolphins next two games, which are Week 5 against the Patriots and Week 7 against the Colts. Concussion experts have said that Tagovailoa will need to sit out an extended time after future concussions going forward. The Dolphins offense desperately needs him back as their backup quarterbacks have sunk the entire offense.

If you fell for the Jonnu Smith hype train coming off Week 2’s 6/53 performance, we’re sorry. There’s little reason to recommend anyone in this passing game right now and Smith certainly won’t be the first hungry mouth that gets fed in the event that changes. Well, maybe if Arthur Smith somehow took over play-calling in Miami.

Without Tua Tagovailoa, Waddle has mustered 113 receiving yards combined over the last three weeks. It’s a dire situation in Miami right now. One that probably should have you looking for other options ahead of Week 5’s date with the Patriots if you think you can find them.

He did not reel in his only target. Wright parlayed a 20-yard gain into the most impressive overall line amongst Dolphins running backs, but Miami simply had no answers for a Tennessee front that rightfully believed Tyler Huntley couldn’t beat them deep. Raheem Mostert looked close to playing in Week 4 and should cap any kind of short-term upside Wright has in fantasy — not that there’s a lot of fantasy upside to go around in Miami right now with the current quarterback situation.

ESPN ran a replay montage of plays Hill handily won on downfield only to be greeted by a poor throw midway through the third quarter. Such is life for the Dolphins No. 1 wideout right now as Miami struggles to generate any kind of passing attack without Tua Tagovailoa. There’s nothing wrong with Hill’s performance right now, the supporting cast just gives him a frightening fantasy floor as he heads into a Week 5 date with the Patriots.

He looked to be favoring his ankle at one point, and Jaylen Wright got plenty of run behind him. Achane simply had no prayer in this offense, and came up short of the goal-line on two carries that could have salvaged his fantasy day in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to call Achane anything more than a low-end RB2 without Tua Tagovailoa, and that will be the case again in Week 5 against the Patriots.

Huntley actually “improved” in the second half, as he was only 7-of-10 for 35 yards at the break. But it’s hard to deny that the Dolphins had virtually no ability to throw with Huntley installed as the starter after joining the team just two weeks ago. Miami completed just two passes 10 or more yards past the line of scrimmage, and none beyond 20. For those in super-deep leagues, Huntley did at least provide the rushing touchdowns. The bigger story is that the Dolphins offense is in shambles headed into Week 5’s game at New England, and nobody Miami has tried at quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa’s absence has shown the ability to shepherd Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Devon Achane to respectable fantasy days. Huntley may get another chance in Week 5 by virtue of not being Tim Boyle, but that’s about all he has going for him right now.