Thomas is changing into a thorn in the side of Miller fanatics. (USAT)
Pulled from the ‘Are you (expletive) serious?’ file, the Miami Herald and Palm Seaside Post are reporting the Dolphins are certainly locked in a RB controversy.
Face meet palm.
As most in Fantasyland salivated over the prospects of presumed starter Lamer Miller, ‘Fins GM Jeff Ireland has repeatedly talked up third-yr plodder Daniel Thomas this summer, predicting a ‘large function’ and ‘breakout season’ for the working again simply final week. His statements, considered nothing greater than outlandish bluster, was as much dumb because it was dumbfounding, but it surely appears the competition is certainly undecided. From Armando Salguero of the Hearald:
Ask coach Joe Philbin if the starting job is open, and he interrupts the query before it reaches the query mark.
“Absolutely,” Philbin stated Tuesday.
That reply got here only minutes after the Dolphins finished their first regular-season-fashion follow in preparation for Saturday night time’s gown rehearsal sport by which starters will play into the second half towards Tampa Bay at Solar Life Stadium.
And on this essential observe main as much as this vital exhibition sport, running backs Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas shared first-staff snaps in 11-on-eleven drills…
“You probably have a No. 1 running again and a No. 2 that’s a distant 2 it’s probably not so good as a 1 and a 1A,” offensive coordinator Mike Sherman stated. “I believe we now have a 1 and 1A so now we have two really good ones, or have a chance to be.”
Sigh.
Thomas has proven very little in his un-illustrious NFL profession. He’s sloughed his method to numerous three-yard positive aspects (three.5 career YPC), gotten stonewalled typically on the objective-line (27 profession atts inside 10, 4 TDs), been saddled with a nasty case of fumblitis and has made few tacklers miss (7.9 career missed-deal with proportion). Granted, he appeared a lot improved in Miami’s last preseason game, however compared to Miller, he’s a hamburger sans toppings – very plain.
The sophomore again, conversely, has the look of a beaming fantasy star. He’s elusive, fast via the opening, more versatile and a greater cut-again runner. His 4.9 yards per carry and respectable eleven.2 missed deal with fee from last yr are evidence of what he brings to the desk. Sadly, uncharacteristic errors made this preseason (fumbles, poor reads and sketchy move protection) have tarnished his picture within the eyes of Philbin. As acknowledged above, the group still thinks highly of him, but by two exhibition games he’s did not take advantage of the chance.
Until the fog on South Beach lifts, it’s clever to knock Miller (31.6 ADP, RB19) down a couple of spots in your rankings. Once more, the expertise is there, however he simply can’t afford a marginal effort in the Fins’ gown rehearsal Saturday vs. Tampa. If he stumbles, a full-blown timeshare of unsavory distribution would doubtless be within the offing. Even if Miller does acquire some distance this weekend, Thomas (151.6 ADP, RB56) will likely be thrown to the wolves near the goal-line, limiting the buzzy RB’s chances of reaching double-digit scores.
• In different devastating information, Jay Glazer stories Le’Veon Bell has suffered a Lisfranc sprain. Yesterday, reviews surfaced suggesting the projected prime rookie RB had dodged the potential season-ending damage, but now his status may be very much in doubt. If he can avoid surgical procedure, a return in six weeks is the very best case state of affairs. He is expected to obtain a second opinion on his foot imminently.
With Bell doubtless toast, the Steelers RB situation has gone from promising to dire. Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman have been root canal-thrilling final yr averaging properly-below 7.0 fantasy points per recreation in normal codecs. Greatest guess: Dwyer/Redman will split early down work with LaRod Stephens-Howling sprinkled in on third downs. In other phrases, it is an avoidable backfield state of affairs.
If there’s any silver lining in light of Bell’s loss, Ben Roethlisberger might be leaned on closely, probably exceeding 550 pass makes an attempt this 12 months. That occurs, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown ought to emerge as reliable fantasy starters in 12-team leagues.
• Lastly, a bit of optimistic news. As first reported by Adam Schefter, prized rusher Arian Foster was activated from the PUP listing early Wednesday. Sidelined with calf/back accidents, he is anticipated to return to the observe field briefly order. Ben Tate is slated to start Houston’s preseason clash in opposition to New Orleans this week, but when all goes smoothly, Foster needs to be able to shoulder the load Week 1.
It’s time for the skittishness to stop. In a run-first system tailored completely to his skills, the multi-time Professional Bowler still deserves high-5 recognition. Tate will ease the burden, but another 22-25 touches per game for Foster are on the menu.
Miller/Thomas could be headed for dreaded timeshare
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