Last season, the Dolphins secured a playoff berth for the second consecutive year, but they faced challenges with injuries to key players toward the end of the season. They lost three of their final five games and were eliminated in the wild-card round, leaving the team winless in the playoffs since 2000. In their loss to the Chiefs, the team struggled to run the ball effectively and protect Tua Tagovailoa due to issues with the offensive line.
Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Dolphins' entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Dolphins players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.
Dolphins 2024 lineup changes
| | 1/1/2024 | Week 1 2024 (proj) |
| QB | Tua Tagovailoa | Tua Tagovailoa |
| RB | Raheem Mostert | Raheem Mostert |
| WR | Tyreek Hill | Tyreek Hill |
| WR | Jaylen Waddle | Jaylen Waddle |
| WR | Cedrick Wilson | Odell Beckham |
| TE | Durham Smythe | Jonnu Smith |
Burning question: How well can the O-line protect Tua Tagovailoa?
The Dolphins' primary concern remains their offensive line. Star left tackle Terron Armstead considered retirement this offseason but will return for his 12th NFL season. He made positive contributions when healthy, but his injuries negatively impacted the team's performance. The Dolphins drafted 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Patrick Paul in the second round, likely as Armstead's successor. However, Paul needs to refine his hand placement skills. While learning from Armstead could benefit him, it won't immediately address Miami's offensive line issues. Losing Robert Hunt in free agency and overlooking the interior offensive line in the draft could prove to be a costly mistake. The performance of Isaiah Wynn and Robert Jones will be crucial as the Dolphins seek to improve their line play.
2024 NFL Draft class
| Rnd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 21 | Chop Robinson | DE | Penn St. |
| 2 | 55 | Patrick Paul | OL | Houston |
| 4 | 120 | Jaylen Wright | RB | Tennessee |
| 5 | 158 | Mohamed Kamara | DL | Colorado St. |
| 6 | 184 | Malik Washington | WR | Virginia |
| 6 | 198 | Patrick McMorris | DB | California |
| 7 | 241 | Tahj Washington | WR | USC |
Dolphins 2024 schedule
| WK | DATE | OPP | TIME | TV | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 8, 2024 | vsJacksonville | 1:00 pm | CBS | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 2 | Sep 12, 2024 | vsBuffalo | 8:15 pm | AMZN | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 3 | Sep 22, 2024 | @Seattle | 4:05 pm | CBS | Lumen Field |
| 4 | Sep 30, 2024 | vsTennessee | 7:30 pm | ESPN | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 5 | Oct 6, 2024 | @New England | 1:00 pm | FOX | Gillette Stadium |
| 6 | — | BYE | — | — | — |
| 7 | Oct 20, 2024 | @Indianapolis | 1:00 pm | FOX | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| 8 | Oct 27, 2024 | vsArizona | 1:00 pm | FOX | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 9 | Nov 3, 2024 | @Buffalo | 1:00 pm | CBS | Highmark Stadium |
| 10 | Nov 11, 2024 | @L.A. Rams | 8:15 pm | ESPN | SoFi Stadium |
| 11 | Nov 17, 2024 | vsLas Vegas | 1:00 pm | CBS | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 12 | Nov 24, 2024 | vsNew England | 1:00 pm | CBS | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 13 | Nov 28, 2024 | @Green Bay | 8:20 pm | NBC | Lambeau Field |
| 14 | Dec 8, 2024 | vsN.Y. Jets | 1:00 pm | CBS | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 15 | Dec 15, 2024 | @Houston | 1:00 pm | CBS | NRG Stadium |
| 16 | Dec 22, 2024 | vsSan Francisco | 4:25 pm | CBS | Hard Rock Stadium |
| 17 | Dec 29, 2024 | @Cleveland | 8:20 pm | NBC | Cleveland Browns Stadium |
| 18 | Jan 5, 2025 | @N.Y. Jets | TBA | — | MetLife Stadium |
Dolphins 2024 player outlooks
By Heath Cummings and CBS Fantasy staff
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa is a borderline QB1 worthy of a pick as early as Round 9. The Dolphins QB has shown flashes of the upside we believe exists in him, but never for a full season. Last year he was QB4 through the first eight weeks of the season and QB10 through Week 13. From that point forward he had just one game with more than 240 yards passing and just one game with multiple touchdown passes. That type of letdown in the Fantasy playoffs will surely cause some Fantasy managers to shy away, but he did finish with a league-best 4,624 passing yards and a second year in a row of about eight yards per attempt. With Mike McDaniel, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle all still in Miami, there is plenty of reason to hope that Tagovailoa maintains his breakout for a full season in 2024.
QB Mike White
White can be left on the waiver wire for as long as Tua Tagovailoa remains healthy. But if White gets a chance to start, Fantasy managers should make him a priority. The situation in Miami is about as good as it gets for a quarterback and White has flashed in relief in the past. He would be a low-end QB2 if he was the starter, with low-end QB1 upside. He's topped 300 yards passing in three of his seven career starts, with three touchdown passes in two of those games.
RB De'Von Achane
We're targeting Achane in Round 4 of full PPR leagues and we're ranking him as an RB2. But that fails to tell the story of one of the great wild cards of the 2024 Fantasy season. Achane was the most efficient running back in football last year, averaging 7.7 yards per touch and scoring once every 11.8 touches. We know there is some regression coming from those numbers; the mystery is how much his volume will make up for it. The four times he had more than 10 carries in 2023 were all blowouts and the Dolphins only gave him 20 combined touches in back-to-back must-win games to end the year. With Raheem Mostert back and Jaylen Wright added, it's fair to wonder if Achane sees a big increase in work. Still, his type of efficiency generally leads to more work and this offense gives him league-winning upside.
RB Raheem Mostert
Despite the fact that we expect him to open the season as the Dolphins starting running back, Mostert is best drafted as a flex or RB3, no earlier than Round 7 in full PPR. Mostert is more valuable in leagues where catches don't count for as much, as he only saw nine targets in the last eight games of 2023. The 32-year-old just led the NFL in rushing touchdowns despite the fact that he missed the last two and a half games of the season. In 2024, he'll try to hold off both De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright. We're very skeptical he'll be able to do that and stay healthy all year long. Mostert is an excellent choice for a zero-RB team that needs a starter at the beginning of the year, and if he's still healthy in November he'll be a cheap buy for contending Dynasty teams as well.
RB Jaylen Wright
On the one hand, Miami is about the perfect spot for Jaylen Wright. Mike McDaniel's offense and Wright's 4.3 speed should be a match made in heaven. He's a home run hitter in an offense that loves the long ball. Unfortunately for 2024, we expect him to start the year behind both Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. Because of their injury history and Mostert's age, we're still drafting Wright as early as Round 11 in redraft but he is a player you may have to be patient with. In Dynasty leagues, Wright is worth a pick in Round 2 in all rookie drafts and he could sneak into Round 1 in one-quarterback leagues. If anything happens to Mostert or Achane in training camp, you should be prepared to move Wright up as high as Round 7 in redraft.
RB Jeff Wilson
Wilson only saw double-digit touches once in 2023 and we don't expect that to change in 2024. He'll be battling Jaylen Wright, Salvon Ahmed and Chris Brooks for the RB3 role in Miami and his best chance for Fantasy relevance might be to lose that battle, get cut and find a job with less competition. Barring multiple injuries we do not expect Wilson to be a factor in Fantasy Football in 2024 and we would only advise holding him in deep leagues with more than 20-man rosters.
WR Tyreek Hill
Hill is a first-round pick in all one-quarterback leagues and he's in the discussion for No. 1 overall. Since he joined the Dolphins he has 401 more receiving yards than any other player in football. Hill turning 30 may scare some Fantasy managers away, but he showed no signs of slowing down last year, setting career-highs in targets, yards and yards per game. His 10.5 yards per target and 15.1 yards per catch were his best marks since 2018. In Dynasty leagues, Hill's age matters a bit more. He slips to WR8 in that format and is a sell for any team that isn't a true contender in 2024.
WR Jaylen Waddle
We're drafting Waddle as a high-end No. 2 wide receiver early in Round 3 of full PPR drafts. While Waddle's production from 2023 may look like a letdown after 2022, that had more to do with health than anything. In the 12 games that he played more than 50% of the snaps, Waddle averaged 15.6 PPR Fantasy points per game, a slight uptick from his 2022 pace. He is one of 10 wide receivers to earn at least 350 targets since the start of 2021 and averaged better than nine yards per target. Waddle also has enormous upside if something happens to Tyreek Hill. He scored 28.2 Fantasy points in his lone game without Hill last year. Waddle is a top-12 Dynasty wide receiver who we view as more likely to move up than down in the coming year.
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins this offseason, and he'll be the No. 3 receiver in Miami behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Beckham should only be drafted with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues. At 31, Beckham's best days are behind him, and he'll struggle for targets in Miami as long as Hill and Waddle are healthy. Beckham spent 2023 in Baltimore, and he only averaged 7.7 PPR points per game, including just four games with at least 11 PPR points. We'll see if a change of scenery and a move to a more pass-friendly offense helps Beckham improve his Fantasy stock, but it's hard to expect much from him at this point in his career.
WR Malik Washington
Washington looked like he was turning into a good wide receiver in his last two seasons at Northwestern, but his college career really took off when he landed at Virginia and accounted for 47% of the team's receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He fits in well in Miami with 4.4 speed, though he'll likely have trouble earning enough targets to matter as long as both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are healthy. Leave Washington on the waiver wire in redraft until he gets an opportunity, but start looking for him as early as Round 3 in rookie-only drafts. If he's able to win the WR3 job in camp, he could be an injury away from Fantasy relevance.
TE Jonnu Smith
Smith surprised as an early-season waiver wire add in almost all Fantasy leagues by often outscoring Kyle Pitts during his 2023 season with the Falcons. He now joins one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL with one of the best offensive play designers in Mike McDaniel. There will be a role for Smith and opportunities for him, but consistency will remain an issue and that makes him a better bet in best ball Fantasy formats. In redraft, Smith is likely to go undrafted but don't be surprised if he once again pops up as an early-season waiver wire add.
TE Durham Smythe
With the arrival of Jonnu Smith, we expect Smythe's role will shrink even further. Despite the fact that he played two-thirds of the snaps or more most of the year for the Dolphins, Smythe only scored double-digit Fantasy points once all season. He can be left on the waiver wire in all Fantasy Football leagues.
K Jason Sanders
Sanders has been a borderline top-12 kicker each of the past two seasons and that's how we feel about him entering 2024. Last year's 85.7% field goal percentage and 98.3% extra point percentage in 2023 were his highest marks since his career year in 2020. The difference was that Sanders made five of seven kicks from beyond 50 yards last year after making just four of 12 the two prior years combined. Still, he hasn't attempted more than 32 field goals in a season since 2020 and we don't expect that to change with Mike McDaniel still in charge. If you want to bet on Sanders, just make sure you do so with a pick in the final round.
Dolphins DST
The Dolphins finished last season as a top-five Fantasy DST in most leagues last year, but we're not sure they're going to repeat. For one thing, they finished top five in fumble recoveries (12) and touchdowns (four), which are two of the least repeatable statistics for defenses. For another, this is hardly the same defense. Coordinator Vic Fangio, defensive end Christian Wilkins, cornerback Xavien Howard and linebacker Jerome Baker are all gone. The Dolphins are hoping additions of free agents Jordan Poyer, Jordyn Brooks and Kendall Fuller can more than make up for their absence. They also spent a first-round pick on edge rusher Chop Robinson. Most importantly for Draft Day, they open the season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, so you probably want to leave them on the waiver wire to start the season.