PROJECTED DEPTH CHART

Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses.

Quarterback: Josh McCown (12), John Beck, Chad Henne

Running Back: Ronnie Brown (5), Ricky Williams (8), Patrick Cobbs

Tight End: David Martin (10), Anthony Fasano (9)

Kicker: Jay Feely

NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES

Additions: LB Akin Ayodele, TE Anthony Fasano, QB Josh McCown, ILB Reggie Torbor, WR Ernest Wilford, DT Randy Starks, OG Justin Smiley

Subtractions: WR Marty Booker, RB Jesse Chatman, RB Lorenzo Booker, QB Trent Green, QB Cleo Lemon, MLB Zach Thomas, NT Keith Traylor

In the stands, that looks like the amount of fantasy owners in America who are willing to draft players from the Miami roster this year. Photo Credit: UCinternational

2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH

Round One: Jake Long, OT, Michigan
Round Three: Chad Henne, QB, Michigan

TOP POSITION BATTLE

Quarterback: Josh McCown vs. John Beck vs. Chad Henne

2008 SCHEDULE

Top matchups in bold

Sept. 7:  New York Jets
Sept. 14: @ Arizona
Sept. 21: @ New England
Sept. 28: BYE
Oct. 5: San Diego
Oct. 12: @ Houston
Oct. 19: Baltimore
Oct. 26: Buffalo
Nov. 2: @ Denver
Nov. 9: Seattle
Nov. 16: Oakland
Nov. 23: New England
Nov. 30: @ St. Louis
FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7: @ Buffalo
Dec. 14: San Francisco
Dec. 21: @ Kansas City
Dec 28:  @ New York Jets

ENGEL EYE ON: THE MIAMI DOLPHINS

It's obvious that no position on the team is really worth watching except for running back. At quarterback, I respectfully disagree with Mr. Phillips that Josh McCown will be the starter when the season opens. He cannot manage a game efficiently, and one of the two younger guys will get the opportunity to learn on the job. McCown reminds me of former Jets quarterback Browning Nagle. John Beck is not draftable, but he should have a respectable enough training camp to prevail as the starter at the beginning of the season. Because of the quarterback issues, Ted Ginn Jr. won't be useful in most weeks. All you will really find yourself monitoring is whether or not Ronnie Brown can come anywhere close to his pre-injury form.

2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS

Dan Marino can still be the best QB on the Miami roster if he wants to. Photo Credit: Webefex

Quarterback:
Despite what has been described as an "open competition" between the top two QBs on the depth chart, nobody really believes any other scenario for opening day other than Josh McCown leading this team into battle in week 1.  Challenged with minimal offensive weapons, the talented but indecisive McCown will be pushed by Sparano to limit his mistakes and 'manage' the game, rather than try to decide it.  McCown has certainly shown flashes of that ability.  In 2004, he started 14 games for the Arizona Cardinals, amassing 2,511 yards and 11 touchdowns.  However, that success was offset by his 10 interceptions and a lost fumble.  The next year, Josh completed 60 percent of his passes in nine games, but again was plagued by 11 interceptions compared to just nine scores.  While he may be mobile, McCown often tries to be a playmaker and will try to squeeze the ball into spaces he simply cannot.  He also suffered injury last season and appeared in only nine games.  John Beck lacks the height and size most coaches want in their QB.  In his five games last year, he garnered a passer rating of 62.0, while completing just over 56 percent of his passes for a touchdown and surrendering three picks.  The newest family member, Chad Henne, is another strong-armed quarterback with a tendency to make bad decisions.  While Henne's junior year was stellar at Michigan, his senior year began with him dropping the opening game to division I-A Appalachian State, perhaps one of the greatest upsets in college football history.  Though he leaves Michigan as their top quarterback ever, much like Tony's impulsive nephew Christopher, Henne's inconsistencies will not garner him high praise around the pool table.  None of these quarterbacks are worth anything more than a late-round investment on draft day, particularly since the position may change several times over the course of the season.

Running Back:
Sometimes the bling is better than the bang.  Four years ago, anyone would have looked at the arrival of Ronnie Brown, combined with incumbent Ricky Williams, who had topped 1,000 yards for four years straight as of 2003, and thought the Dolphins were set.  However, Williams unceremoniously retired from football in 2004, and Brown hasn't yet become an elite talent.  This year, Brown returns from ACL surgery, and make no mistakes about it: Though he may suit up at the start of the season, he won't yet be 100 percent.  Brown's yard-per-carry (YPC) average has gone up over the course of his career, but that's because he's played less and less games annually.  He currently owns a career 4.4 YPC after posting 602 yards in 119 attempts for 2007.  Last year, Brown was starting to show star potential before succumbing to injury in Week Seven against New England.  He had rushed for four straight 100-yard games and scored all four of his touchdowns during that run.  As soon as Williams filled in, he was lost as well, injuring his shoulder Week 12 in Pittsburgh.  Williams' history of depression and marijuana use is well documented, so there's no telling which Ricky will show up in 2008.  He's also had fumble problems, and even though word out of mini-camp is that Ricky is in good shape, proceed with caution.  Third-year man Patrick Cobbs and rookie Jalen Parmele serve as depth at the RB position.  Neither is thought to possess enough size and/or speed to be able to run outside in the NFL.  Both will probably get some third-down looks and are expected to be used most frequently on special teams.

Wide Receiver:
Most of the Miami faithful wanted Cam Cameron's head on a platter when he drafted Ted Ginn Jr. out of Ohio State as his first pick last year.  Ginn gets his chance to redeem the former head coach, as he moves into the starting lineup opposite free agent acquisition Ernest Wilford.  However, at 5'11" in height, Ginn will have to rely on his superb speed to get enough separation for the QBs to see him down the field.  However, in his final four games of 2007, Ginn showed a better tendency to get open, averaging four catches per game and just over 10 yards per catch with one touchdown.  With just 34 receptions, he ranked second on the team behind Marty Booker for most receiving yards.  As a number one, even in this offense, he'll generate enough opportunity to make him a solid WR3 option and maybe graduate to a WR2 by year's end.  Wilford always has had the size and strength to succeed in the NFL, but he has also had problems separating and is slow to accelerate.  He's a good red zone target but has never surpassed his 2005 total of seven TDs.  Wilford is a third option at best.  Derek Hagan appears to be a strong sleeper option, and one to watch for 2008.  He was a three-time All-American out of Arizona State, showing flashes of strong receiving and blocking potential.  Former Charger Greg Camarillo and former Bengal Tab Perry round out the receiving corps.  Neither should figure in your draft day plans.

Tight End:
Perhaps Bill Parcells just loves tight ends from Notre Dame with last name that end with "O"s.  Regardless, it's almost no surprise that Anthony Fasano, the 6'4", 258 pounder that is a facsimile of Parcells' other tight end who he developed on the Giants, Mark Bavaro, is jumping into the mix.  Comparisons to Bavaro are premature, but with David Martin failing to materialize as a legitimate receiver off the line, expect Fasano to take on a much bigger role in this offense.  He's underrated right now, as he runs sharp routes and has soft hands.  The question is whether the passers on this team will find him.  Justin Peelle and Sean Ryan provide more blocking depth, but will be minimal factors.  With the kind of inexperience the 'Fins have at the QB position, tight ends will be prime check-off targets.  Martin will get his share of looks in the red zone, but Fasano highlights this group and is worth a value pick.

Kicker:
Jay Feely made over 90 percent of his field goal attempts last year, with his longest make at 53 yards.  He's a serviceable kicker, but not necessarily special.  With the Dolphins offense again looking like a lower-tier group, Feely isn't going to draw any special praise.  Feely's opportunities have been dwindling ever since he arrived in Miami, especially since the team has averaged more than 28 points-per-game only once in his tenure with the team.  Though the offense will improve, he's not someone you need to target. Rookie Dan Carpenter may also push Feely in training camp.

Defense/Special Teams:
Two years ago, this squad was ranked 5th in the NFL, while operating within a 3-4 scheme.  Why they moved to a 4-3 last year, we can't be sure.  But with Zach Thomas nixed and Jason Taylor on the outs, former Cowboys tight end coach Paul Pasqualoni has his work cut out for him.  Pasqualoni's tutelage took place under Dick MacPherson at Syracuse University.  He was a defensive guru of sorts, but not much of a risk-taker.  Expect Taylor to start the season with the Dolphins, and with the return to the 3-4, Joey Porter will be expected to pressure from the outside.  However, they're not as fast as they once were, and it would seem with Pasqualoni at the helm that we shouldn't expect an overly aggressive blitz package.  In the 4-3, this unit was dead last against the run, so new inside linebacker upgrade Reggie Torbor and the health-challenged Channing Crowder are charged to shut it down from within.  Former Cowboys LB Akin Ayodele and third-year man Edmond Miles will back them up.  The line features 11-year veteran Vonnie Holliday, who has 51.5 career sacks.  They'll rely on him to disrupt the running game with undersized DT Jason Ferguson and up-and-comer Randy Starks at the nose tackle position.  DE Matt Roth is coming off his best year on the line, finishing 2007 with 43 tackles and three sacks.  The secondary was fourth best in the league.  If Will Allen's legal problems don't become a distraction, he's considered a strong man-to-man guy, while his counterpart Michael Lehan is even more physical.  Safety Yeremiah Bell is drawing rave reviews in mini-camp.  All signs point to an improved unit in a fairly weak division (aside from the Patriots), and half of their schedule pins them against offenses who ranked no higher than 24th in the league last year.  The biggest knock this unit faces besides age is the guys on the other side of the ball.  They could be the sleeping assassins of 2008.   

With Ginn, Jr. moving to the starting unit at WR, expect him to return kicks less.  He was stellar in 2007, garnering over 1,400 yards in kickoff returns and adding a punt return for a touchdown.  Tab Perry will likely be his counterpart to start the season.

Offensive Line:
Jake Long is expected to start and lead a unit that ranked 21st in rushing yards and allowed 42 sacks in 2007.  Samson Satele struggled in his rookie season but is expected to continue developing heading into this campaign.  Vernon Carey will reprise his role at right tackle.  Justin Smiley arrives from San Francisco and will battle both rookie fifth round pick Shawn Murphy and sixth round pick Donald Thomas for left guard.  Steve McKinney, an 11-year veteran, is expected to vie for right guard, though he's lost a step.  The line averages over 6'3" in height and around 320 pounds, so it offers good size.  Expect the running game to be a major focus in training camp to offset a weaker passing attack.  Toughness and a new attitude should make this unit better in 2008.  The Sparano family won't allow anything less.

Jonathan Phillips can't believe he was able to get a Soprano theme throughout his preview when he's only seen one full season of the HBO gem.  He's in the middle of season two.  Since time is short, send relevant Soprano remarks or football tidbits to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed