Dolphins

Def/Spec Team

In addition, the Dolphins will be scaling back CB Byron Maxwell’s involvement this week. The Miami defense has struggled early in the 2016 season and will face Andy Dalton in Week 4 after taking on Cody Kessler, Jimmy Garoppolo, and an injured Russell Wilson. Dalton has taken a league-high 12 sacks through three games, but the Dolphins D/ST is still a risky bet in fantasy leagues on Thursday night.

The Miami defense will have to rely on struggling CB Byron Maxwell in coverage with CB Xavien Howard (knee) sidelined. “He don’t stop. He keeps going. He can run all of the routes. Not many guys can do that,” Maxwell said of Brown. The Dolphins are currently 28th in total defense and will not pose a threat to the Pittsburgh offense that has averaged 436 yards since the return of RB Le’Veon Bell. The Dolphins D/ST is not worth fantasy consideration this week.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Seattle offensive line dead-last among all 32 NFL teams, and that was with a healthy Ifedi. The Dolphins will look to DE Mario Williams and DT Ndamukong Suh to apply pressure on Seattle QB Russell Wilson, but dragging Wilson down after flushing him from the pocket is a different issue entirely. The Dolphins D/ST can be safely avoided in fantasy leagues this week on the road, despite the advantage in the trenches.

The Dolphins will look to continue their defensive improvements on Sunday against turnover-prone Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets. Miami should be well rested before the plus home matchup after enjoying a Week 8 bye, making the Dolphins D/ST a very respectable streaming option in fantasy leagues.

Hull had played just one snap this season prior to Week 13, but saw 26 snaps after Alonso suffered a thumb injury last week. Hull made the most of his time, recording four tackles in limited action. Miami will look to bounce back after being shredded by Joe Flacco and the Ravens in Week 13, when the Baltimore quarterback threw for 381 yards and four scores. The Dolphins D/ST is a mid-tier fantasy option in Week 14 at home against Arizona, who has allowed two or more sacks in six consecutive games.

The run-stopping slump does not bode well for Miami as they prepare to face the New England Patriots, who have rushed for 123.3 yards per game in the same six-game stretch. Miami surrendered 31 points to the Patriots in Week 2 with Jimmy Garoppolo under center for New England, and will obviously face tougher quarterback competition this weekend. The Dolphins D/ST won’t be a viable fantasy option in Week 17 for fantasy owners still hunting for league titles.

“The first few games I wasn’t a starter. But I just kept my head down and worked my tail off, and now it’s starting to work in my favor,” Branch said. Branch and fellow DE Cameron Wake have increased pressure on opposing quarterbacks and the Dolphins have racked up 10 sacks in their last three games. Miami will face Los Angeles in Week 11, where the Dolphins D/ST will be a prime streaming candidate with Rams rookie QB Jared Goff set to make his first career start.

The matchup for the Dolphins D/ST got a bit more interesting when RGIII was assigned clipboard duty for the 2015 season. Cousins has 18 career touchdown passes and 19 career interceptions to his credit, and will be facing a fierce defensive front led by Ndamukong Suh. The Dolphins were sixth in the NFL in pass defense in 2014, allowing 222.3 passing yards per game, and will be a highly recommended Week 1 D/ST play despite playing on the road.

This nugget comes courtesy of the Miami Herald, and illustrates the Dolphins’ lack of success in pressuring opposing quarterbacks. The Miami defensive front has recorded just one sack so far in 2015, and it came on the opening drive of the season. The offseason acquisition of Ndamukong Suh was aimed to boost this defense, but results have not surfaced to this point. Week 3 will see Miami host the Buffalo Bills in an AFC East battle and with Buffalo allowing eight sacks through two games, this could be a spot for the Dolphins to break through. The Miami D/ST is a borderline startable fantasy unit in Week 3.

Misi recorded a career-high 66 tackles in 2014 and will look to further improve in the Miami defense led by new addition Ndamukong Suh. The Miami D/ST is currently being drafted eighth among fantasy defenses and draws a decent matchup in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins. The addition of Suh alone makes this D/ST worth pursuing in fantasy leagues.