Fantasy Football Daily - 2022 Franchise Focus: Miami Dolphins

Episode Date: July 8, 2022

Joe Dolan (@FG_Dolan) invites David Furones (@DavidFurones_) of the Sun Sentinel to discuss the upcoming season for the Miami Dolphins. The Franchise Focus Podcast series is brought to you by Underdog Fantasy (@UnderdogFantasy). New users can sign up to Underdog using promo code FANTASYPTS for up to $100 in bonus cash on their first deposit. Visit fantasypoints.com/underdog for more info. The podcast series is also sponsored by Evan's Sports Cards & Collectibles (@evanscards). Follow @EvansCards on Twitter for weekly updates and card releases, Like on Facebook, and head to evanssportsnj.com for more info, including the always-updated eBay store. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fantasy-points-podcast/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fantasypoints.com and the 2022 franchise focus series is sponsored by Underdog Fantasy, the best and easiest way to play fantasy sports, with no waivers, trades, or lineup setting for season-long drafts. New users can sign up to Underdog Fantasy Fantasy, using promo code Fantasy PTS, for up to $100 in bonus cash on their first deposit. That's promo code FantasyPTS. Head to FantasyPoint.com slash Underdog for more information. Now let's get to the show. It's time for the Fantasy Points podcast brought to you by FantasyPoints.com. Top level fantasy football and NFL betting analysis from every perspective and angle, from numbers to the film room with a single goal to help you score more fantasy points.

It's another franchise focus podcast here at Fantasy Points and the Fantasy Points podcast. My name is Joe Dolan. Thanks to everybody for tuning in through this fantastic series. And the thing that I love the most about this franchise focus series is that I don't have to be the star. Because when I'm the star of things, they typically turn to crap. But I am bringing on 32 people who know these teams inside and out. And today we are talking Miami Dolphins. And we're talking Miami Dolphins with David Ferronis, who is a beat writer, beat reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

He is a South Florida guy through and through. He went to the U. you can follow him on Twitter at David Ferronis underscore. That's F-U-R-O-N-E-S underscore at the end. David, what's with the underscore? I'm interviewing Andrew Allahan from the Boston Herald, who covers the Patriots, and his underscore is at the beginning of his Twitter handle. You have it at the end.

Very weird to get the two bookends there like that. Yeah. But I think just when I started a, Twitter account way back in the day. My name was already taken. So just the name itself, I wanted to just make it at David Faronis. And I think someone in Spain,

since my name is Spanish, had it already. You know, very uncommon last name, but obviously a common first name. So yeah, someone over there already had it. But then later on,

I searched and I couldn't find that account anymore. So I think it, it would have been available now, but I had already gotten it verified the way it was. And then I heard it if you change your handle, then you go through a whole thing. So anyway, but I prefer to have the underscore at the end just because if people search, then at least it doesn't get in the way at the beginning. You know, if someone's just searching David Ferronus, it'll still pop up before you hit that underscore. So hopefully no one has ever missed, you know,

finding me because of it. Well, yeah, I'm in the same boat because, like, look at these two elite blue checks talking to everybody here, like from our high horse. Like, I, uh, I have a Twitter handle that is now, um, not irrelevant, but, uh, let's say, um, uh, past its due date. But I'm also verified and I don't want to change that and get rid of it. By the way, that's at FG underscore Dolan, uh, if you, uh, if you don't follow me on Twitter already.

But that's the deal. That's why us elite blue checks. We haven't, uh, changed our, our handles. because we don't want to lose that blue check and that and that false like pulpit that we have. Anyway, David, I don't know if you're a card collector, but if you are, you want to go to Evans sports cards and collectibles. That's what the franchise focus series of podcasts is bought to you by. It's the best place for cards, collectibles, autographs, and more.

All of our fantasy points memorabilia giveaways are from Evans. And we always have the latest boxes and releases from Panini, upper deck tops, and more. And, you know, Evans is not a super store. It's one of those small family owned businesses like Fantasy. that you really can feel good about supporting. It's great for an in-person visit if you're in the Philadelphia area, but if you're in Miami, like David is, it's just as good to visit the eBay store.

Follow at Evans cards on Twitter for weekly updates and card releases, like it on Facebook, and head to Evansportsnj.com for more info, including that always updated eBay store. The releases this week include the 2021 Panini contender slash optic football set and the 2022 Panini select baseball set. Evans SportsNJ.com online and at Evans cards on Twitter. And when you go, tell them that the guys from FantasyPoints.com sent you. All right, David, we're going to get into the Miami Dolphins right now.

Let's just kick it off with, like, you know the video that went viral. The Dolphins put it up there on Twitter to looking like he's underthrowing a deep ball to Tyreek Hill. And everybody freaks out because it's in May and there's nothing really else going on. we know Tua doesn't have a Patrick Mahomes level arm, okay? That's not going to surprise anybody. But based on what you've been seeing in OTAs with Tiree Kill, Jalen Waddle, what can we expect from Mike McDaniel's passing offense? Is this going to be something that is in the short to intermediate area?

How much verticality can be expected from this offense? Right. Well, we all know Mike McDaniel comes from the San Francisco 49ers, the offensive coordinator last year, and ran their run game the years before that. know, you know, one of the most effective run games in the NFL, those several seasons. So you can expect something similar to what he ran with the 49ers, what you saw Jimmy Garoppolo doing. I don't think they want to put TWA in a position where they are winning or losing

games based on him. I think it'll be run-based first and foremost. I mean, that's why they have four NFL starting caliber running backs in this rotation that, you know, that have started games as NFL running backs in the past. And we'll work with that, which is also McDaniel Specialty. And then in the past game, yeah, there's got to be some verticality to it. I think they do want to just get the ball in the playmaker's hands. Tyreek Wattel or Tyree Kill, Jalen Waddle, even if it's behind the line of scrimmage, like we saw the 49ers we're doing with Debo Samuel last year under Mike McDaniel.

So if there's some creative, innovative ways to just get the ball in their hands and then in the short game, they've really emphasized yards after catch as much. They've said as much consistently throughout this offseason. The OTA is the mini-camp portion of the off-season. So I think that'll be heavy in the game plan for Tuaua Tuauaua going into year three. But he's also, when the shots down the field are available, he's got to be able to get the ball to them. I think he has worked on strengthening his arm, becoming stronger, getting another year removed from that hip-ins. injury that cost them that final college season.

That does tend to affect the quarterback in terms of the torque and the body rotation and getting everything you can on a deep ball. So I think, you know, maybe you do start to see something closer to that Alabama quarterback that, you know, where maybe the arm wasn't entirely an NFL ready arm there, but it wasn't really thought of as that much of a hindrance for him back then. and maybe you see something closer to that for now going into a 30 year removed from that. You know, I think one of the misgivings about Tyree Kill is that, you know, he's been only a deep threat in his career. As a matter of fact, he was actually, I mean, he has been that.

But last year, his A dot was just so was low. I mean, 10.4, that was two and a half yards down from his previous career low with Kansas City. But ultimately, I'm looking at two guys here from a fantasy perspective, Tyree Kill, and Jalen Waddle. Each of these guys caught 100 plus passes last year. Each of these guys kind of did it in a similar way, close to the line of scrimmage, maybe a little bit more of an emphasis on yards after the catch. Knowing that Miami is a different system than it was last year, though, it still feels like something's got to give. Do you think Waddle and Tyreek are kind of interchangeable in this offense, or do you think that one of those guys is going to stand out from the other in a specific way?

It's kind of one of the hardest questions to answer for fantasy, from my perspective, at least. Right. Yeah, you got to figure they compliment each other because last year's Dolphins' offense, and obviously teams could figure they really got to focus in on Jalen Wado, especially once he started putting up the numbers and the high volume catches. Even if early on he wasn't getting the yards per catch, then you could see the dolphins were going to him heavily. And then obviously, you know, Tyree Kill is always going to be a focal point no matter what offense he's in, no matter what defense is facing them. And even in Kansas City where you have a guy like Travis Kelsey over the middle who it was so dynamic as a tight end, you still have to focus in on both of them somehow. So, yeah, they stand to benefit from each other.

And, you know, can they both put up thousand-yard seasons at the same time, especially if the run game will be the key component? and it'll be a more run-heavy offense. And if Tuatunga Vailoa isn't going to be throwing the ball down the field as much as you would see from a Patrick Mahomes, all these factors, then, yeah, can something's out to give? Like you said, will both of them be able to put up the big numbers? And yeah, that is the million-dollar question. But they will stand to benefit from just the complementary factor that they do possess, you know, one guy on one side, one guy and the other. or even if, you know, someone's in the slot on the same side as well. Yeah, so, I mean, we know, like you've mentioned it multiple times, though,

Mike McDaniel comes from that zone run scheme. The Dolphins made a significant investment in the offensive line this offseason, going and signing Toronto Armstead, going out and getting Connor Williams to play center. And then, of course, three brand new running backs, Chase Edmund, Sony, Michelle, Rahim Mostert. This is another tough rotation for fantasy purposes to figure out. But from based on what you've seen in OTAs, McDaniel must have a specific plan for these running backs. And what kind of plan do you think you're going to see emerge over the course of training camp

and over the course of the early part of the season with these new running backs? Also maybe even throwing Miles Gaskin into that mix. Right, right. Actually, a lot of it hasn't really been revealed through OTAs in minicamp just because, well, for one, you know, blocking isn't, you know, full pads or anything like that. So the running back, some of them haven't been available or participating in team portions of practice. So not a lot yet has been unveiled in terms of what the running back rotation could look like. So yes, I mean, definitely a mystery as a lot of people could predict going into it.

But I would think I wrote about this not long ago in a fan mailbag piece that I do regularly. And yeah, I think in the end you'll see probably Chase Edmund's getting. get the most productivity out of this offense, you know, for the sheer fact of how dynamic is and how he can help in both the run. Right. And catching passes out of the backfield. Even if he isn't per se the starter, which, hey, maybe that could end up being Sony Michelle, although he was the third running back picked up in free agency.

They grabbed Rahim Mostert, former 49ers running back with McDaniel over there, and Edmonds in that first week of free agency. And then Michelle came later on. He has the most starts among. any Dolphins running back on this roster in his career. And he is kind of the most in between the tackles, a physical runner of the group. So you could see maybe he's a guy that you set the tone early with,

and then you go and bring either the speedster, Moster, who has that familiarity with McDaniel's outside zone running scheme. And then Edmund's obviously dynamic as well. Miles Gaskin is interesting because he was with the previous regime. So, you know, going into last year, fantasy-wise, a lot of people thought, okay, could he be a borderline fringe RB2? And, you know, given how much of the offense he should participate in, you know, and it didn't really turn out that way. And then even last year you saw mid-season pickups like Duke Johnson and Philip Lindsay had either surpassed him in Johnson's case or were even with him by the end of the year in terms of touches in Lindsay's case. So, but he is kind of that fourth running back that has, uh, has been a starter in the league,

even though he is still young. And then, uh, kind of a name, they still have Savon Ahmed, who entered last season as the number two back. But then an interesting name, uh, kind of out of the blue is, uh, the undrafted rookies, a quandary white, who, uh, Mike Nathaniel has even been impressed by. He mentioned him, uh, in, in a press conference, uh, sort of at the end of, uh, the OTA session. and it's just an interesting name. He has a lot of other names to pass up in order to get to even make sure he gets into a 53-man

roster spot. Also considering the dolphins will use a roster spot on a fullback, Alec Ingold, in this offense like you've seen the 49ers do with Cala Juice Check. So spots will be limited. But just kind of an interesting guy to keep an eye on where even if they have to stash him on the practice squad and then guys get injured later on, just a guy that has been impressive to the dolphins through this offseason session, and maybe eventually if an avenue opens up for him to get into the mix,

that would be interesting as well. You know, I think it's probably funny. Like the dolphins go out and they make this huge splash by getting Jalen Waddle, excuse me, getting Tyree Kill to go with Jailen Wadle this offseason. But knowing how fans react, I have to imagine, like, the running back question is one you get asked the most because, I mean, it's been, it's been a hot minute here since the Dolphins really had a functional run game. And I bet you that kind of frustrates the fans. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, when Tyree Kill was at it, I felt like, okay, this is the most

dynamic offensive player the Dolphins have had since. And I'm there thinking, okay, yeah, not recently. You'll probably have to go back to Ricky Williams. Right. Exactly. he put up 1,800 rushing yards. So, yeah, I mean, that's probably as good of an offensive player as an offense have had since Ricky Williams. And if you're going to put Tybrook ahead of him, even then you've got to say it's his Dan Marino. So here's another interesting question I have now, again, knowing well that this is a brand new system. But Mike Gisicki was, I mean, let's be honest, he was essentially a wide receiver last year.

He lined up in the slot on a huge majority of his snaps. Meanwhile, the Dolphins go out and they sign Cedric Wilson this offseason, predominantly a slot receiver. Feels like something's got to give right now. Gisicki still, as of recording, on the franchise tag, no extension, which one of those guys wins out in the end when it comes to Gisickey or Cedwellson? Or does Mike McDaniel believe Gisickey can do a little more work in line, like kind of like George Kittle does with the San Francisco 49ers? Right. Well, when we spoke to him at the Combine and Mike McDaniels first answering these questions about how Mike Kisiki can fit into this offense where we know tight-in run blocking is very important in this outside zone scheme. And he said, look, when you have talented guys on a roster, and you have to find ways to incorporate them. You know, you play to their strengths. But then also, there is an understanding that Gisiki is going to have to participate in. that run blocking aspect of it as well. So it is an expectation in this offense.

So it may not be tailored as much to just say, hey, we are completely lining you up in the slot or out wide where he did most of his work previously. But the dolphins will try to feature Gisickey as much as possible for what he is known for going up and getting balls contested catches using that 6-6 frame and those long arms. So, hey, you know, Tyree Kill and Jalen Waddle, They're smaller receivers. So on the outside, then even if you're using Gassiki on the outside, then you have a big possession target that you could go with.

That Cedric Wilson in the slot actually ends up being one of the bigger targets that they have at 6162. And they drafted a guy like Eric isukonimo who could sort of be in the frame of a Devante Parker, picked him up in the fourth round. So maybe someone kind of under the radar that could eventually get some targets. But for the Gassiki question, yeah, they're going to, they want to feature him and then they put him on this one-year franchise tag, kind of see how it fits. If it doesn't work this season with Gassiki in this offense, then you know you can move on. And if it does, then you can look long term after that.

David, you've really gone deep on me here, quite frankly. Like, I did not expect Zekwondre White talk on the podcast. So I don't know if you're going to be bringing up in here. He's a public name among the fans. The fans are all about him right now. Oh, God. Fans love UDFAs, man. They love him.

And you go, and a guy explodes in the fourth quarter in the precinct. You're like, we got to keep them, you know, like, but I don't know. This is an OTAs. Yeah, this is, I know Zsaquandre White's getting a little hype now, but I don't know if it's going to be a different name from what you've brought up already, but I've been asking everybody who's done these podcasts, maybe somebody who's a little bit under the radar who could produce some fantasy

numbers on the Dolphins if given the opportunity. Is it somebody you've mentioned already or somebody that you're kind of kind of holding in your back pocket for me? But probably I guess first and foremost, I don't know if he's considered this low. But we just talked about him. Cedric Wilson. You know, yeah, there are a lot of targets in this Dolphins, but in the slot and then with how much attention your figure is going to go to

Tyro Kill and Jailun Wado and then probably even Gisiki. Then, yeah, he's got to get some opportunities in here. So he's the name I look out for it because, you know, he was mostly a number four receiver if everyone was healthy with the Dallas Cowboys previously. So, sure, you know, he had some standout performances in games where he got to bump up because of certain injuries. But, you know, a guy that coming over to the dolphins, you expect, okay, well, now he's going to get a little bit more action. Granted, that was when he first signed, and then the dolphins were able to bring in Tyree Kill. So it kind of changes that perspective a little bit. Like, okay, now a lot of the offense is going to go to Hill.

But yeah, either him and then, yeah, if you want to go into the running back, hey, there's still a lot of names that he's got to get over. But it's worth mentioning that Zheondriiway, when Mike McDaniel was asked, just a broad question at the end of the mini-camp organized team activity portion of the summer, who are some undrafted free agents that have stood out to you? and then he did mention by name. Zichondre Wright was kind of the one name he came up with. And he did mention with that, okay, running back is probably going to be a little bit ahead of the other rookies

just because playing the position, transitioning from the college to the NFL is a lot more similar. So maybe that's why he appears more ahead than other rookies, but just worth noting. And other receiver, yeah, I mentioned Eric Azukam. fourth round pick, which is really the second rookie that the Dolphins drafted because they used first and second rounders in the trade for Tiger Kill. So it's a deep receiving core, but maybe a guy who has a chance because they really like them in their best player available model. They weren't even expected to take a receiver in this draft. And it says a lot that they did go and take him instead of, say, a center, another lineman, something like that with that fourth round pick, which was, one of two in the mid-round that the dolphins had.

So speaks a lot to what this coaching staff, wide receivers coach Wes Welker, kind of liked about him, who's a fellow Texas Tech alum like Welker was. You know, I think a lot of people were surprised. I was surprised when they took a wide receiver, given like their limited draft resources. So that definitely raised an eyebrow.

I know he was a favorite of our guy, Greg Kosell at fantasy points, like just a guy that he really liked. Yeah. So you never know. There could be an opportunity there, especially mid-season. You start to have guys go down and, you know, if he continues to progress the way this coaching staff has projected for him. His name is David Faronis.

You can follow him on Twitter again at David Ferronus. That's F-U-R-O-N-E-S underscore. Get that underscore at the end there. He's a Miami Dolphins Beat reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He is awesome. David, thank you so much for joining us here on the franchise. Focus podcast. It was great having you on. Absolutely. Thank you. Anytime.

And we'll be back with more franchise focus here later this week on FantasyPoint.com and through the weeks coming. I hope everybody's enjoyed listening to it. You can follow me on Twitter at FG underscore Dolan. I'll be retweeting and posting all of these incredible beat reporter and analyst interviews. It was great having David, and it's going to be great having a lot of the other reporters we have coming on. Catch you later, everybody. Hope you all have a nice. Thanks for tuning in to this edition of the Fantasy Points podcast. Remember to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite platform.

And come join the roster at FantasyPoint.com.