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Miami Dolphins fantasy value for Ryan Tannehill, Mike Wallace, Lamar Miller, more

Taking a look at the fantasy value for the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 of the 2014 NFL season.

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Cliff McBride

This year, SB Nation has partnered with FanDuel, a daily and one-week fantasy game, giving you a chance to restock your roster week-after-week.  It's like a regular fantasy football league, picking the players you think will put up the biggest stats, but you have a chance to completely change your roster every single week.

FanDuel is based on a salary cap style of game, where you are given a certain amount of cap room, and you choose however much you want to spend at each position.  You can buy the top player at any position every week, but know that in doing so, you are probably going to have to take a cheap player someone else on your roster to make up the difference.

You can also win real money with FanDuel.  Essentially, you deposit some money into your account.  Then, you can enter as many leagues as you want, as long as you pay the entry cost for that particular league (anywhere from $1 to $10,000, and, in some cases, there are even free leagues).  Leagues will have prize money listed, with some leagues awarding money to the top three spots, and some paying out money to anyone in the top 500.  Every league is different, and you can find the type that suits you best.  If you win a prize, the money is then deposited into your account, with the ability to withdraw money via PayPal.

I thought, since we have this partnership, I would take a look at the current fantasy salary cap numbers for the Miami Dolphins.

Quarterback - Ryan Tannehill is currently $6,500 according to FanDuel, which, in a standard $60,000 cap game, is just below the $6,667 average salary cap space for the nine roster spots.  He is currently tied with E.J. Manuel for 24th in the league in quarterback pricing.  Just for reference, Peyton Manning is the most expensive quarterback, and overall player in the game, with a current value of $10,200.  Tannehill's price is a hard one to say is a under- or over-value.  He has had some really good games against the Patriots, and the Dolphins will be looking to come out fast against the top team in the Division over the past decade, but it is a new offensive system, and the offensive line is still a question mark.  If you are looking to spend big salary cap space somewhere else on your roster, Tannehill could be a good option to save some space.  He averaged 16.0 fantasy points per game in 2013, according to FanDuel's scoring system, which lands him as the 19th best passer, just behind Tom Brady's 16.2 ($9,100 value) and Jay Cutler's 15.9 ($8,000).

Running back - Like Tannehill, Lamar Miller comes in just below the average player price, with a current value of $6,300, the 29th highest priced running back.  Just behind him, at $6,100, is Knowshon Moreno (33rd).  Neither running back at this point should be a consideration, as how the two work together in the backfield has yet to be seen, with Moreno having been out with a knee problem, as well as the Dolphins' offensive line not yet proving they can open running lanes.  Miller could be a cheap option later in the season, but he should probably be avoided until the Dolphins prove they can run.

Wide receiver - Mike Wallace is the most expensive receiver for the Dolphins, with a value of $5,900, which is tied with Riley Cooper, Cecil Shorts, and DeAndre Hopkins for 34th in the league.  Brian Hartline is another $1,000 lower in value, tied with nine other players, and actually $200 cheaper than rookie Jarvis Landry and $400 cheaper than Brandon Gibson.  FanDuel starts three wide receivers, which absolutely means Hartline could be a consideration for that third position.  The comfort level between him and Tannehill usually gets him a few receptions a game, and has meant Hartline has been the leading receiver in Miami's offense the last two years.  I would not rely on any Dolphins receivers to be my top guy in the first week of the season, but Hartline would be an intriguing option to free up some money for someone else.

Tight end - Charles Clay gets some respect in the FanDuel valuation, coming in with a $5,800 cap number, tenth highest in the league for the position.  Jimmy Graham ($8,100) and Rob Gronkowski ($8,000) top the position, but Clay should definitely be an option (assuming he is fully healthy), especially at a price nearly $1,000 below the average player price for the roster.

Kicker - Given Hartline's value, the kickers are a little higher than expected.  John Potter is currently the eighth highest valued kicker (tied with eight others), coming in with a value of $5,000.  That means Potter, who may not even be the Dolphins kicker if the groin injury to Caleb Sturgis heals before the season opener, costs more than Brandon Gibson, Jarvis Landry, and Brian Hartline.  Sturgis is currently valued at $4,600.  The kicker position is one that you can afford to take someone on the cheap, but a recommendation on a Dolphins kicker cannot really be made until the 53-man roster is settled, and Potter or Sturgis is installed as the team's kicker.

Defense - The Miami defense is valued at $5,100, tied with the Cleveland Browns for 12th in the league.  The defenses, however, are much closer in valuation than most of the other positions, with the San Francisco 49ers holding the top spot at just $5,600.  Miami is going up against the Patriots in Week 1, which is usually a bad thing, if Tom Brady is on his game, but the Dolphins usually play New England tough, and they have the defensive linemen to pressure Brady.  It could actually be a good match-up for Miami.  Taking the Dolphins here probably comes down to how much money you have left against your salary cap.  If you have just $300 more, you can jump up to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a strong defense and are facing the Tennessee Titans.  There are some top rated defenses that can be had for not much more than Miami, and who are facing offenses not as potent as the Patriots could be.  Miami may not be the smartest start in Week 1, but it could be a high risk, high reward option if you are willing to take that chance.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a $100,000 Fantasy Football Contest for Week 1's NFL games. It's only $10 to join and first prize is $10,000. Starts Sunday, September 7th at 1pm ET. Here's the link.