Miami Dolphins Stock Watch

It's been a couple of weeks since we took a look at the rising and falling Miami Dolphins "stock." So, let's go ahead and take a look at this week's stock watch:

Rising:

• Daniel Thomas, Running back - Thomas has been impressive through his first two games, to the point of setting the Miami Dolphins rookie rushing record though a player's first two games.  Thomas is averaging 4.9 yards through 41 carries (202 yards).  After a preseason in which Thomas was criticized for his lack of aggression and the tentative way he hit the hole, Thomas seems to have solved that problem.  The rookie isn't afraid of contact, and takes the ball straight at opponents.
• Brandon Fields, Punter - Fields has become one of Miami's best weapons.  Fields is second in the league in punting average, currently holding at 53.3 yards per punt.  He has a net average of 44.8 yards (3rd in NFL) and is fourth in the league with six punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.  Whenever the Dolphins' offense struggles, Fields is a constant field position changer - holding 3rd place in the league for longest single punt (70-yards).
• Brian Hartline, Wide Receiver - The Magician has 10 catches thus far this season.  He's catching everything thrown his way right now, making some ridiculous catches over defenders and at the sideline.  Hartline, along with Thomas, has become the primary weapon on the offense, and he is only getting better every game. 

Holding

• Chad Henne, Quarterback - Henne has actually played fairly well through the first three games of the season.  He is averaging 7.79 yards per attempt (13th in the league and over a yard higher than his career average).  He has four touchdowns on the year, and three interceptions, with two of those picks coming on last play heaves, and the third coming when his elbow was hit as he tried to thrown the ball.  Henne also has a 7.9 yards per carry average, having rushed 14 times for 111 yards and 1 touchdown.  Those stats put Henne ahead of Ricky Williams, Danny Woodhead, Chris Johnson, and Brandon Jacobs.  In fact, Henne is the 33rd highest rusher so far this season.

Falling

• Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver - Something is wrong with Marshall, and it's become a problem for the team.  Marshall has dropped passes all over the field, including one this past week in the endzone.  He has also changed routes, leading to Henne throwing the ball to the wrong location.  Whatever is wrong with Marshall, he has been putting in extra work this week to ensure he is ready for the entire game plan.  Hopefully he snaps back and becomes the #1 Miami needs.  
• Reggie Bush, Running back - This is partially the offense's problem because the team is misusing Bush.  But, it doesn't really matter, because Bush came to Miami explaining how he was going to be the workhorse.   Currently, with an extra game to rack up stats, Bush is 133 yards behind Thomas, and has gotten 14-fewer carries. The team is also not looking at Bush in the passing game.  Plus, the Dolphins were awarded former Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton this week.  After making a splash  in the preseason by trading for Bush, he is slowly disappearing from the offense.
• Jake Long, Offensive Tackle - It pains me to put Long here.  He's still one of the top left tackles in the league, but there's the problem.  He's one of the best - not THE best.  Long has been getting beat this year, and has made un-Jake-like mistakes leading to multiple penalties.