• James Cook finds the end zone three times: Cook ran for two touchdowns during all of 2022, two touchdowns during all of 2023, and two touchdowns Thursday night.
• De’Von Achane sets a new career high: Achane reached over 20 carries for the first time in his NFL career.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
- James Cook: 11 carries, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 reception, 17 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- De’Von Achane: 22 carries, 96 yards, 7 receptions, 69 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
De’Von Achane used in a feature role: Acahne was used more than most expected with Raheem Mostert out due to a chest injury.
For most of the game, Achane was the clear centerpiece for the Dolphins offense. Last season, he never played more than 63% of Miami's offensive snaps in a game, even when Mostert missed time due to an injury. Achane was also on the injury report due to an ankle injury, where he was listed as not participating on Monday and Tuesday and as a limited participant on Wednesday.
Achane played 75% of Miami's offensive snaps in the first half and reached a career-high in touches in the third quarter. This is excellent news for anyone who drafted Achane, as he could keep this role for as long as Mostert is out. If Mostert isn’t as effective of a runner as he was last season, we could reach a situation where Achane is simply the starter while Mostert is the primary backup.
Jeff Wilson Jr. served as the initial backup in the game, and Jaylen Wright also made his NFL debut. The Dolphins started to use their backups more in the second half with the game out of reach, but Jeff Wilson Jr. suffered an oblique injury in the fourth quarter and was ruled out. Wright was a healthy inactive in Week 1. He could be again if both Mostert and Wilson are OK, but he could also be the primary backup next week with a larger workload if they are not.
Jonnu Smith shines while Dolphins play catchup: Smith was a Dolphins leader in receptions and receiving yards but was still in a rotation with other Dolphins tight ends.
In Week 1, Smith played in 20 of a possible 71 snaps, which is nowhere near enough for a fantasy starter. He played 14-of-23 snaps in 11 personnel and just six snaps in other personnel groupings. This week, he played just slightly more in 11 personnel on a percentage basis and slightly more outside of 11 personnel. The difference this week is the Dolphins were losing by double-digit points by the middle of the second quarter, so they spent a lot more time in 11 personnel.
Miami did make more of an effort to get Smith the ball this week compared to last before the blowout — a designed target early in the first quarter and again to start the second quarter. He will likely see two or three of these targets a game, but it will be hard for him to pick up enough volume to be a fantasy starter most weeks. It’s fine to have him on your roster if benches are deep enough to warrant having a second tight end, but I would only be comfortable starting him if the Dolphins are underdogs, as his playing time will be very dependent on the game script.
Monitor the health of Tua Tagovailoa: The Dolphins starting quarterback suffered a concussion late in the third quarter and was quickly ruled out.
While players who get injured on a Thursday night have a better chance of returning with the extended time off, it’s worth remembering Tagovailoa’s history with concussions. There is a decent chance the Dolphins will be extra cautious given his history, which could lead Tagovailoa to miss time.
The Dolphins had a quarterback battle during training camp, and Skylar Thompson won. He was the replacement quarterback in this game and will be the starter for however long Tagovailoa misses. This is a downgrade for everyone in the Dolphins’ offense, but Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Achane should still remain in fantasy starting lineups.
We wish Tagovailoa the best in his recovery from this concussion.
Dalton Kincaid misses significant playing time: Kincaid rotated in and out throughout the game.
Kincaid played the first four snaps of the game, but within that time, he took a knee to the head. He didn’t play the last two snaps of the drive or at all on the following drive. Throughout the rest of the game, he rotated out a bit more than fantasy managers would like. He was still on the field for the clear majority of pass plays, but Dawson Knox remained on the field in run situations.
The Bills similarly rotated Kincaid out a bit to start Week 1, playing just 15-of-22 snaps in the first half, but the Bills were down at halftime, leading Kincaid to play 36-of-39 snaps in the second half. Regardless, the Bills aren’t using 12 personnel as much as last season due to their increased depth at wide receiver, so there are fewer snaps for the tight ends to go around.
If the Bills are going to remain one of the top teams in the NFL and are in these positive game scripts, that might be bad news for Kincaid fantasy managers. It’s also possible the team was being cautious after he took the knee to the head, but in that case, he shouldn’t have been playing at all, particularly when they were up by multiple touchdowns. He caught four passes for 33 yards, which isn’t terrible, but fantasy managers were hopeful for more, especially considering how much the Dolphins gave up to tight ends last season.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington missed his second straight game due to a quadriceps injury. Robbie Chosen was again elevated from the practice squad to replace him.
- Both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle barely played in the fourth quarter because Tua Tagovailoa was out and the game was out of reach. Of 59 plays in the first three quarters, Waddle played 51 and Hill played 49.
- Bills free agent wide receiver Curtis Samuel remains a clear fourth on the depth chart at wide receiver. Some of his snaps came in four wide receiver sets from the backfield. He can be dropped in most fantasy leagues, as he may only be a starter if Khalil Shakir suffers an injury.
- While James Cook and Ray Davis were close in carries, most of Davis’ work came in the fourth quarter with the Bills up by three scores. Cook ran the ball 10 times in the first three quarters to Davis' three carries.
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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