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The headline is correct. After a 37-0 beatdown of the San Diego Chargers at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, there are no players with their stock falling this week in South Florida. Which players saw their stock rise (the most) this week for the Dolphins?
This game was so incredible, what is normally a three up - three down type of post will actually have ten ups this week. Yeah, it was that good a game.
Stock Up: Ryan Tannehill, quarterback - Is there any doubt about who the top Dolphins performer of the day was? Tannehill was incredible, and his stats back it up. In fact, he was so good that, heading into Monday Night Football last night, he had the second highest passer rating of the week, behind just the six-touchdown performance of Ben Roethlisberger. Tannehill was that kind of good on Sunday. He finished the day 24-for-34 for 288 yards and three touchdowns. He was decisive. He moved around in the pocket, and was not afraid to roll out of the pocket, keeping his eyes down field and looking to throw the ball. He made throws through traffic and was accurate with them. It was just a great day for a young quarterback, and he deserves the top spot here.
Stock Up: Reshad Jones, safety - Make a claim like you are the best safety in football, and you better back it up. Jones did just that on Sunday, coming away with a team high five tackles, all solo, a tackle for a loss on a Chargers fourth down attempt in the first quarter, and an interception. Since serving his four game suspension, Jones has 29 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, and four passes defensed. Maybe he really is among the elite safeties in football.
Stock Up: Cameron Wake, defensive end - There's no question about Cameron Wake being elite. Add another sack to his season total, bringing him to 6.5 through the first eight games for Miami this year. That's four straight games with at least one sack for Wake, and he continues to show that he is at least in the conversation for the best pass rusher in the league. He is so explosive off the snap, has such great technique when he is engaged, and he never seems to stop unless he is wrapping up the quarterback.
Stock Up: Brent Grimes, cornerback - Jones recorded the first interception of the game, but Grimes was not going to be outdone. After a pass that could have been picked by either Jones or Grimes fell incomplete, Grimes recorded two interceptions in the span of eight minutes - in real time. It was just 3:29 on the game clock between the two picks. He is now second in the NFL with four interceptions, behind just Cleveland Browns safety Tashaun Gipson who has six this year. According to Pro Football Focus, Grimes has allowed a 59.2 passer rating against him this year, putting him tenth in the league in that stat, and he has been targeted more times than anyone in the top 14. Grimes is an exceptional cornerback, and he showed it again on Sunday, when he was targeted seven time, allowing just three receptions.
Stock Up: Charles Clay, tight end - A couple of weeks ago, it looked like Clay was breaking out and finally would be healthy and a big part of the offense. Then he disappeared again. He came back this week with a vengeance. Recording game highs with five receptions and 65 yards, Clay scored the first touchdown for the Dolphins and seemed to be Big Play Clay again. Hopefully he will be able to keep it up the rest of the year. It was really nice to see the tight end become a weapon for Miami again.
Stock Up: Jarvis Landry, wide receiver - Clay had a game high five receptions, but he was actually tied with two other Dolphins with that number. The first of those was rookie wide receiver Landry, who had 46-yards receiving and a touchdown on the day. He entered the day leading the league in kick return average, and fell to third in the league because he only had one try at increasing the average. He currently is returning kicks at a 31.2 yards per kick rate, and he returned the second half kickoff 31 yards. He did increase his punt return average on the year, going 13.8 yards per punt, with a long of 21, on the day. Landry is becoming a bigger part of the offense each week, and he is responding to that role.
Stock Up: Dallas Thomas, guard - Thomas started the game at left guard. That's the last time you heard his name. He was able to pull, he was able to block, and he was able to make you forget the Dolphins were starting a replacement at left guard. Nothing more could have been asked of Thomas. He was not always perfect, but Thomas was good - and he is worthy of recognition as he continues to develop into an NFL offensive lineman.
Stock Up: Brian Hartline, wide receiver - The other player with five receptions on the day was a player who, like Clay, was missing from the offense so far this year. Hartline broke free, finally, on Sunday, recording those five catches on seven targets for 50 yards. It looked like, for one week at least, the sure-handed Hartline who has broken the 1,000 yard mark each of the last two seasons was back. If the Dolphins are going to continue to have the kind of offensive production they had on Sunday, Hartline's stock will have to continue to rise.
Stock Up: Brandon Fields, punter - He was only asked to kick twice during the game, but it was nice to not have to comment about Fields, a 2013 Pro Bowler, knocking the ball off the side of his foot. Fields averaged 47 yards per kick, hit one for over 50 yards, and pinned both kicks inside the Chargers' 20-yard line. It was a very small sample size, but one that, backed up by the five punts for a 51.0 yard average against the Jacksonville Jaguars, should signal Fields is back to his normal self.
Stock Up: Joe Philbin, head coach - Is anyone surprised to see Philbin on this list this week? The Dolphins played their best game of the year, executing in every aspect of the game. Philbin was on his game this week, and the Dolphins played like it. Add in the story of the loss of the head coach's father, and this position is well deserved for Philbin.