Dolphins fantasy football pick-ups, drops for Week 2

The first week of the football season is over, which means the first week of fantasy football for 2018 is also over. Did you win in your opening game of the year? Or were you the lucky player who watched Matthew Stafford throw pick after pick on Monday night and your lead evaporate with every time the Jets caught another Stafford pass? Not that I know anything about that or anything.

Stupid two quarterback league.

Anyway, Week 2 of the NFL season means it is now time to start wheeling and dealing in fantasy football. Where do you need to look to pick up an injury replacement or grab that stud no one expected to breakout in Week 1?

For the Miami Dolphins, there are definitely a couple of players you should consider adding. Percentage owned numbers are based on Yahoo! leagues.

Dolphins Waiver Pickups:

Frank Gore, running back

% Owned: 9
Week 1 Stats: 9 carries, 61 yards

Gore did not get into the endzone, but it is clear he is going to see plenty of carries in the Dolphins split-starter running back system. While Kenyan Drake is owned in 99 percent of leagues, Gore is out there available for anyone to grab as a RB2 or RB3/Flex option if needed.

Kenny Stills, wide receiver

% Owned: 72
Week 1 Stats: 4 recs, 106 yards, 2TDs

All summer, I have said Stills will be the Dolphins’ top receiver this year, and in Week 1, that was a correct projection. DeVante Parker will come back from his broken finger at some point, but the connection that Ryan Tannehill and Stills has is going to lead to some big numbers. He could be a great WR2 option for you if you need someone right away, or he could be a bye week option if you can stash him until then.

Ryan Tannehill, quarterback

% Owned: 7
Week 1 Stats: 20/28, 230 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

The Dolphins definitely looked to Tannehill to win them the game this past week and, while the two interceptions hurt his fantasy points, he was still slinging the ball everywhere. Assuming some of those picks were rust and some of it was from the rain, Tannehill is not going to be a bad bye week option for you to grab now and stash away for when you need him. For comparison, Jameis Winston is owned in 13 percent of leagues, and he is not even playing for two more weeks.

Dolphins Drop or Bench

DeVante Parker, wide receiver

% Owned: 40
Week 1 Stats: Injured, DNP

Dropping Parker may be a bit premature, but you are probably going to have to be patient with him over the next couple of weeks. He has never been a receiver who plays well when he is banged up, so it may take a minute for him to get back to full potential as he comes back from a broken finger. The Dolphins expect big things from Parker - as they have ever year since he entered the league - but they are downplaying it this year to try to keep him from feeling the pressure. Once he is back and ready to fully play, he could be a good option for you in matchups or as a bye week replacement, but he is probably someone you need to keep on the bench for a while - and if you HAVE to make a roster cut somewhere, he could be the right guy to choose.

Sleeper to buy cheap

Mike Gesicki, tight end

% Owned: 12
Week 1 Stats: 1 rec, 11 yards

The Dolphins have big plans for Gesicki this year, though Week 1 did not cause the rookie to break out. The Titans did a solid job of bumping him off routes or getting him caught up at the line of scrimmage. That said, the Dolphins want him to be a pass-catcher and red-zone target, so if you have roster space and want to stash someone who, as soon as he breaks out will be a high demand tight end, pick him up now and just wait.