There is a huge elephant dominating the room when it comes whether or not to make Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa the QB1 on your fantasy roster, and it has nothing to do with talent. It has everything to do with injuries.
Purely by the numbers, Tagovailoa should be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the league. In 2022, he led all quarterbacks in passer rating (105.5), touchdown percentage (6.3 percent), and yards per pass attempt (8.9 yards). The last number was the most powerful because of the distance it was above the second-ranked quarterback (Patrick Mahomes at 8.1 yards per attempt). With explosive receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle locked and loaded in the offense, there is no reason to believe that Tagovailoa can post similar numbers in 2023 – if he can stay on the field.
He is no stranger to injuries. In college, he had hand surgery in March of 2018, ankle surgery in December of 2018, and surgery to repair a dislocated right hip in November 2019. He entered the NFL as an injury risk and nothing has changed since. If anything, it has become more troubling.
