Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return to practice and could play in Week 8 for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2, his third official concussion in the NFL and fourth overall, including one at Alabama.
While fans are rightfully more concerned about Tagovailoa’s health than his performance, fantasy managers are eager to see if he can right the ship of a struggling Dolphins offense and give top fantasy draft picks De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle a scoring boost.
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is now might be your best chance to sell high on them.
Achane and Hill should see the biggest improvement in fantasy numbers while Waddle remains a boom-or-bust option. Trading any of them for a big chip in return makes sense.
Achane averaged 23.25 fantasy points per game in the two games Tagovailoa played this season and 6.98 in the four games Achance has played since. That includes Achane's best game last week, when he averaged 5.1 yards per carry, finishing with 77 rushing yards and 2 catches for 8 yards against the Colts.
The receiving statistics should see a massive improvement for Achane. He had 14 catches for 145 yards and a TD in the two games Tagovailoa played. Since, he’s had 8 catches for 49 yards and 0 TDs.
Hill, a Top 5 pick in most drafts, has been nonexistent with Tagovailoa out, making 14 catches for 140 yards and 0 TDs. He had 7 catches for 130 yards and a TD in the season-opener with Tagovailoa at QB.
Last year, Hill averaged 7.4 catches, 112.4 yards, and 0.76 TDs per game with Tagovailoa throwing him the ball. Expect his numbers to move closer in that direction if Tagovailoa remains healthy.
Waddle is the biggest question mark. While he did have 5 catches for 109 yards in the season opener this year, Waddle was streaky last season, producing under 13 fantasy points in PPR leagues in seven-of-14 games he played. This year, he hasn’t scored more than 9 points in all but the season-opener.
Tagovailoa’s return does increase Waddle’s ceiling, but his floor remains low too.
Tagovailoa provides a boost for all of these players, but his health remains a concerning question. We’ve already seen him get knocked out of three games with a concussion, including the last one where he ran into a defender and suffered another horrifying head injury where his arm went rigid and he rolled onto his stomach holding his head.
Any hit, at this point, could be the last of Tagovailoa’s career.
Looking to trade one of these players might be the more prudent decision. You’ll be selling them high, even though their production doesn’t warrant it, on the premise that Tagovailoa raises their ceiling. The truth is he does, but there’s no guarantee he will finish the season, especially if the 2-4 Dolphins fall completely out of the playoff race.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tua Tagovailoa’s Return Creates Fantasy Football Upside for De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill .
