This offseason has been one filled with change for the Miami Dolphins and their fanbase.
After ending the 2021 season just on the outside of the playoffs, Miami opted to fire head coach Brian Flores and replace him with San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Since then, the Dolphins have upgraded at a number of positions, especially on offense through free agency and trades. With all of those moves, many have projected the Dolphins to take a big step this year and become postseason contenders.
Despite those thoughts, ESPN’s fantasy analysts believe that some of the offensive weapons in Miami could fall into the “bust” category by the end of the fantasy season.
In a recent post, these analysts were asked to pick a sleeper and a bust for each traditional fantasy position (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end). No Dolphins were chosen to be fantasy sleepers. That may be because they’re all being talked about frequently and drafted highly.
For busts, on the other hand, there were three names that popped up from Miami. Matthew Berry, Keith Lipscomb and Kyle Soppe all listed Jaylen Waddle as a potential bust at wide receiver, while Joe Kaiser picked Tyreek Hill. And, at tight end, Berry also named Mike Gesicki as a potential bust.
At this point, Hill has an average draft position (ADP) of 16 (seventh wideout selected), Waddle’s ADP is 34.9 (13th wideout selected) and Gesicki’s is 98 (10th tight end selected).
It’s tough to truly justify these draft positions at this point. There’s hope that Miami’s offense, with McDaniel at the helm, will take off, but we’ve yet to see it happen. To expect the team to have two top 13 wide receivers in terms of fantasy production is probably too lofty of a goal.
Gesicki, however, could certainly be a top 10 tight end in fantasy if he finds the end zone more often, and that’s what McDaniel and tight ends coach Jon Embree will try to unlock in his game.
