Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots Fantasy Football Matchup Breakdown For Week 8
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Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots Fantasy Football Matchup Breakdown For Week 8

John Laghezza breaks down the AFC East showdown between the Dolphins and the Patriots for Week 8 of the fantasy football season.

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AFC East rivals clash when two offensive units I think are better than their numbers suggest meet for the first time in sunny Miami. Dolphins’ vibes are at an all-season high after their first victory, and a second divisional upset in a row could put the league on notice that a once-obvious doormat’s no more.

Dolphins vs. Patriots Matchup Breakdown For Week 8 Fantasy Football

*Fantasy Football Rankings listed are Fantasy Life's half-PPR consensus ranks at the time of writing.

NE_patriots-logo.svgNew England Patriots Fantasy Preview For Week 8

New England's duality on offense continues to make this season a veritable roller coaster. Sure, they’re top-5 in yards/play (6.0) and total explosive plays (54) but also committing the second-most turnovers in the NFL (14). Can’t do that stuff if you’re pushing for a championship, even if Drake Maye’s been the best QB with a bullet for a month straight. Can’t believe people actually dropped him after a slow start … crazy times we live in. Last year’s runner-up MVP will have a great shot to stretch that top-5 positional streak to a fifth game against a Dolphins’ D forcing 25% fewer sacks than the 31st-worst team. In fact, MIA’s prevented just one quarterback from tossing multiple scores — and his name’s Kyler Murray. Shocked emoji face.

The Patriots’ WR room’s been full of surprises this season, not exactly great news for fantasy gamers. As soon as Romeo Doubs starts to gel in the offense, he gets hurt. Then, DeMario Douglas goes on a two-game sun-run, averaging +21 points, including three scores. And what happens the second you trust him to produce against a hot-or-miss Bears’ secondary? We get a (3-23-0) faceplant, in a loss no less. Surprise! Super DeMario’s still startable at the flex, just be wary the slot’s one of the few spots these Dolphins defend well (5.3 catches, 55.7 receiving yards/game).

Of course, the biggest Foxboro shock’s got to be the soul-crushing return of “alpha WR” A.J. Brown. Somehow, despite 95.7% route participation and a 23.9% target/route rate including two end zone looks, plus a whopping 126.0 air yards/game since returning, Brown’s scored 13.5 total fantasy points. Craziest part? This keeps happening as Drake Maye’s playing some of the best ball of his career. Even with some knee concerns, provided he plays, we must stay the course for the potential upside alone. Play to win the game. So make those buy-low offers … I’m going down with the ship. It’s not like anyone else on the Pats commands meaningful targets downfield from one of the premier deep-ball throwers in the NFL. So, so, so frustrating.

Speaking of aggravation, New England’s insertion of second-year UDFA Corey Kiner into the RB loop ruined wherever hope was left for TreVeyon Henderson this season. Sayonara, pal … see you on the other side. Rhamondre Stevenson remains a projectable RB2 for role versatility, just keep in mind he hasn’t eclipsed a 57% backfield opportunity share since all the way back in Week 1, while also ceding goal-line carries to Maye. Big ick vibes.

  • Start: Drake Maye (QB4), Rhamondre Stevenson (RB19), A.J. Brown (WR12)
  • Sit: DeMario Douglas (WR50)
  • Sleeper: Hunter Henry (TE13)

MIA_dolphins-logo.svgMiami Dolphins Fantasy Preview For Week 8

Let the record state I jumped on the Malik Willis bandwagon coming out of the Week 6 bye versus my Jets, and it paid off big time (208-2-0, 8-37-1; QB4). And yes, the rushing’s super sweet, but would you believe my man Malik led the entire league in Week 7 EPA/dropback (+0.64)? Point being, it’s not just the run game that’s improving. Willis avoided throwing a pick in two of three, while taking two or fewer sacks in three of four. New England’s definitely a tough matchup, but I’d add him regardless for the upcoming run of soft matchups (DET, IND, BUF, NYJ).

Figures the Dolphins wouldn’t produce in the run game until losing their best player. Man, I miss De’Von Achane. Since Week 3, Ollie Gordon’s been one of, if not the most impactful waiver wire add of the season, averaging 16.2 points/game on a 77 UR (18.8 touches/game, 78.9% backfield opportunity share), plus strong underpinning metrics (4.7 yards/carry, 3.18 yards after contact/rush, 0.08 EPA/attempt, 11.1% explosive rush). Strike while the iron's hot.

With Miami’s pass-catching corps back to full strength, I think we’re dealing mostly with a cannibalized scenario. With Chris Bell, Caleb Douglas, and Malik Washington more or less evenly splitting up routes and targets, the only Dolphin WR/TE I’m starting with confidence is Greg Dulcich. As one of the few players available all season, I’d be willing to buy low on last week’s advanced metrics (27.8% target/route, 4.78 yards/route) in case the recent galvanization’s real.

  • Start: Malik Willis (QB20), Ollie Gordon (QB22), Greg Dulcich (TE24)
  • Sit: Malik Washington (WR35)
  • Sleeper: Caleb Douglas (WR38)

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