Free agency and the NFL Draft have come and gone: It’s time to fully embrace the 2023 offseason by breaking down the fantasy football aspirations of each and every team before draft season truly gets underway.
What follows is a fantasy-focused breakdown of the Miami Dolphins, looking at key questions like:
- Will Tua Tagovailoa explode in year two with head coach Mike McDaniel?
- Is Devon Achane poised to work as the featured back from day one?
- Are both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle deserving of top-12 WR fantasy treatment?
Every fantasy-relevant player from the Dolphins will be covered in the following paragraphs. Make sure to check out the Fantasy Life Team Preview Landing Page through the end of June for more all-encompassing fantasy football coverage.
Notable Offseason Moves
From the front office, to the coaching staff, to the roster: Every 2023 NFL team will be different than its 2022 version.
Head coach Mike McDaniel and offensive coordinator Frank Smith are back to lead the league’s reigning 11th-ranked scoring unit. However, defensive coordinator Josh Boyer has been replaced by longtime mastermind Vic Fangio, who spent 2022 as a defensive consultant for the Eagles after serving as the Broncos' head coach from 2019 to 20221.
There are some similarities between what McDaniel and his former mentor Kyle Shanahan do offensively, although the former certainly made the Dolphins offense his own in 2022:
- Pass rate over expected: Dolphins (+1.9%, 7th), 49ers (-4.4%, 22nd)
- Pace: Dolphins (31.42, 19th), 49ers (32.38, 26th)
- Play-action rate: Dolphins (38%, 2nd), 49ers (22%, 24th)
- Motion rate: Dolphins (45.9%, 1st), 49ers (27.1%, 6th)
Additionally, the Dolphins have made plenty of changes to their roster. The following QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs have either joined or left Miami in some way, shape or form this offseason:
- QB: Backup QB Teddy Bridgewater remains a free agent. The Dolphins signed ex-Jets signal-caller Mike White (two-year, $8 million) to serve as the new backup for Tua Tagovailoa.
- RB: None.
- WR: Speedy backup WR Trent Sherfield signed with the Bills. The Dolphins accordingly added a trio of WRs in Chosen Anderson (one-year, $1.32 million), Braxton Berrios (one-year, $3.5 million) and Freddie Swain (one-year, $1 million) to add depth to the room.
- TE: The WR who we call a TE for whatever reason, Mike Gesicki, took his talents to New England, while backup TE Hunter Long now plays for the Rams. The Dolphins signed ex-Broncos TE Eric Saubert (one-year, $1.685 million) and veteran journeyman Tyler Kroft (one-year deal) to compete with presumed starter Durham Smythe.