• Raheem Mostert takes a step back: The Miami Dolphins used Mostert as only a third-down back this week after he was one of the best runners in football one year ago.
• Davis Allen is the Los Angeles Rams‘ new top tight end: He had slowly cut into Colby Parkinson’s playing time in recent games and fully took over this week.
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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.
Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Rams
- Puka Nacua: 9 receptions, 98 yards
- Cooper Kupp: 7 receptions, 80 yards
Raheem Mostert reduced to a third-down role: The veteran running back did not play on early downs this week.
Mostert was the Dolphins' starting running back last season when healthy, with he and De’Von Achane ranking in the top five in PFF offensive grade among running backs with at least 200 snaps. This season, Mostert started in Week 1 but exited due to an injury that forced him out in Weeks 2-4. He returned in Week 5 with Achane as the starter, but Achane left the game early due to a concussion.
In Weeks 7 and 8, Achane was Miami’s clear lead running back, but Mostert was seeing 14-16 offensive snaps on early downs in place of Achane each week, with Jaylen Wright mixing in. How the two were used in passing situations was inconsistent. Last week, Mostert fumbled early in the third quarter. He played 35% of snaps before the fumble and 10% after.
This week, Mostert played only on third downs. If Achane needed a break on early downs, it was Wright taking his place instead of Achane. While Achane is a much better receiving back, Mostert is the better pass-blocker, which could be contributing to the Dolphins' decision. Mostert and Achane have graded generally well as runners this season — but not near the heights of last year.
It’s fine to consider dropping Mostert in redraft fantasy leagues. He isn’t scoring enough fantasy points to be a starter since both running backs have been healthy, and he will be scoring even less in this role. If Achane were to suffer an injury, this game suggests Wright would be the Dolphins’ primary early-down back. Wright has graded the best of the three as a runner, so it would make sense to give him more opportunities going forward. This also makes Wright a better speculative waiver target. The Dolphins have a very rough schedule for running backs starting in Week 14, so if Wright doesn’t become a double-digit-touch player in the next three weeks, he can be dropped.
Achane was already a must-start player, given his talent and role in the offense, but he is an even safer start now that his role is larger.
Rams make a change at tight end: Davis Allen started the game and was Los Angeles' clear lead tight end throughout.
Colby Parkinson began the season as the Rams’ lead tight end, playing 74% of 11-personnel snaps and 63% of 12-personnel snaps over the first five weeks. After the Rams’ Week 6 bye, they started phasing Parkinson out of two-tight end sets, with him playing 17% of 12-personnel snaps over Weeks 7 and 8. Last week, he began getting phased out of 11 personnel. In the first half, he played 61% of 11-personnel snaps, but that fell to 12% in the second half, with Allen playing more than Parkinson in that personnel grouping.
This week, Allen was the Rams’ main tight end for the entire game. Parkinson took only a few snaps, at times giving Allen a break in 11 personnel. Allen caught four passes for 21 yards. Parkinson can potentially be released in all redraft leagues and some dynasty leagues.
It’s worth noting that Tyler Higbee is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery from his torn ACL and MCL, which he suffered in January. The Rams have generally stayed quiet about his status and haven’t given much of a return schedule, but there is a chance he will be back this season.
The Rams' tight ends have generally had low target shares, regardless of who is playing, and the team has one of the most difficult schedules for the position over the rest of the season, so Allen and Higbee can likely be left on the waiver wire.
Miscellaneous Notes
• Jordan Whittington returned after missing Weeks 8 and 9 and barely playing in Week 7 with a shoulder injury. He served as a backup for Puka Nacua for a few plays in 11 personnel, but Tyler Johnson was occasionally in for Nacua instead.
• Tyreek Hill showed up on the injury report Friday with a wrist injury. He was questionable, and it wasn’t clear if he was playing until inactives were announced. He received his normal snap share in this game but was mostly used as a runner and a target on short passes.
• The Dolphins activated River Cracraft from injured reserve earlier Monday. He was a full participant in practice all week. This led Dee Eskridge to be a healthy inactive. Malik Washington and Odell Beckham Jr. remained the third and fourth wide receivers on the depth chart despite Cracraft’s return.
• Alec Ingold was questionable with a calf injury and was ultimately inactive. All three of the Dolphins' primary tight ends lined up as a fullback at least once in the game.
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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