Another day. Another training camp injury. At the way it has been going, it more than likely won’t be the last time you read that opening sentence. Miami Dolphins quarterback, Ryan Tannehill went down while running towards the sideline on Thursday. Immediately, questions came up about the fantasy impact of skill position players such as: Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Jay Ajayi.

 

Let’s just take a breathe for a moment.

 

During the day there were reports that the injury was a tear to his left knee. The same knee in which he sprained the ligaments in during the week 14 game against the Arizona Cardinals, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. As more information came out during the day, it was said that there wasn’t any structural damage to the injured leg. Dolphins fans and fantasy fans were able to breath a sigh of relief. Not so fast. Late Thursday night Adam Schefter reported that the Dolphins fear the quarterback may still need surgery, forcing him to miss the season.

As of this writing, no decision from the team has been made. One possible alternative to going under the knife, could be a 6-8 week long absence from any activity, and then go on to rehab from there. In either case, the same old question will come up as far as the fantasy implications of Miami players.

The Quarterback Situation: 

Ryan Tannehill was currently being drafted as the #24 QB according to ADP from Fantasypros.com. That means that if he was drafted, it was as a low-end QB2, and most likely that won’t have any implications to your team unless of course you play in a 2QB/Super flex league. Before Tannehill could even get off the field, social media blew up with the names Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick as options to replace him.

Jay Cutler

Cutler makes some sense because of his history with Adam Gase. Gase was the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2015. In that year, Cutler played in 15 games while completing almost 65% of his passes with 3659 yards, 21 TD’s and 11 interceptions. One of his better years. With Cutler behind center, I don’t think much changes for the wide receiver’s fantasy potential. Other than of course having to build chemistry with the new QB. I would however drop Landry a few spots and raise Parker a bit due to Cutler’s eagerness to just “throw things up there” at times. Parker has the ability to come down with those errant passes. Cutler also has shown his willingness to take sacks, which could result in defenses playing up more and perhaps sending a safety in there to put pressure on Cutler and the running game as well. As for Cutler himself, he would fit right in to where you drafting Tannehill.

 

Colin Kaepernick

(via Bleacher Report)

I talk sports. I talk fantasy sports. I’m leaving any political views I have out of this.

Kaepernick brings a different skill set to the Dolphins if they so choose to go that route. Without spending too much time on it right now, I would probably have him ranked in 16th-19th range, but he would definitely have top 15 potential and worth drafting as QB2 or streaming option. He has a big arm and a lot of leg to get out of the pocket. That could help considering the Dolphins have already lost their left guard of the offensive line due to injury as well.

 

Matt Moore

For the time being, Matt Moore is going to be the starting quarterback for the Dolphins up until if/when they bring someone else in. Even if they do bring in someone else, there’s no guarantee that player will be starting over Moore. Moore has been with the team since 2011 and knows the offense. He has held his own when given the opportunity as well. In the 3 games he started last season, he completed 63% of his passes and threw 8 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. However, he wouldn’t be a fantasy option for you other than a bye week fill-in.

 

The Running Back Situation 

Jay Ajayi

Ajayi is being drafted as the #8 RB at this point. However, he too is dealing with an injury of his own (concussion). Already I’m considering moving him down a bit and it has nothing to do with the quarterback situation or his own injury. Projected left guard Ted Larson has a potentially torn biceps and center Mike Pouncey is made of glass. He will be fine no matter who the quarterback is, although Kaepernick could vulture some rushing touchdowns if he’s behind center. Could Ajayi see even more carries that we project him to if Cutler or Moore are behind center ? Definitely a possibility, but the Dolphins would also run the risk of running him into the ground without much depth behind him. Ajayi’s stock should hold steady right now, with the possibility of dropping just a couple of spots.

 

The Wide Receiver Situation 

Jarvis Landry

Maybe I’m being too optimistic with Landry here. I’ve already seen a lot of people writing him off because of this injury news, but I’m not on that same page. Landry has been top 5 in yards after the catch the past 2 seasons and that shouldn’t change much with another quarterback. He’s going to catch those short to intermediate passes no matter who’s throwing the ball. He hasn’t been much of a touchdown guy to begin with, so there’s no need to worry about that taking a hit. With the offensive line being suspect right now, whoever the quarterback is will want to get the ball out quickly, and the bodes well for Landry and his skill set.

DeVante Parker (left) with Jarvis Landry. (AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)

 

DeVante Parker

From what we hear, 2017 was going to be the year that the talented receiver “put it all together”, and was ready to have his break out season. I’m a fan of Parker and already had him ranked higher than most. I have some belief in the third year wide receiver theory. He’s been having a phenomenal camp so far according to those who cover the team. The chemistry between him and Tannehill was growing rapidly and the loss (potentially) of his quarterback will have a negative impact…to start. However, once the signal caller realizes how much talent this guy has, he’s going to want to get him the ball. If the loss of Tannehill gives people trepidation on drafting him, so be it. Let them pass him up. He may start out slow, but by week 5 he’ll make his fantasy owners happy they have him.

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