The dream of Raheem Mostert being the bonafide RB1 for the Dolphins died this past Sunday as the newly acquired Jeff Wilson Jr. came right in and posted a superior game.
Snaps, touches, receptions, yards … you name it, Wilson was right there with Mostert in what looks to be a newly formed committee.
Action Network’s fantasy football experts weigh in on this development and more below.
Sean Koerner: Wilson is already familiar with the Dolphins' run scheme as head coach Mike McDaniel comes from the Kyle Shanahan/49ers coaching tree. Therefore, it was no surprise that Wilson was able to fit right in after just one week of practice.
However, it was a bit of a surprise to see him form a near 50/50 timeshare with Mostert in his debut. Their underlying usage was split down the middle, yet Wilson managed to have a bigger fantasy game thanks to his three receptions to Mostert’s 0.
I consider this backfield to be more of a murky RBBC with a slight edge to Wilson — not that we should ignore Mostert. Both could post RB3/Flex value with split work, and both possess RB2 upside if one gets hurt.
If Wilson was dropped in your league, I would consider adding him as a RB3/Flex with potential RB2 upside. He doesn’t even need an injury to cash in on that upside. Plus, Mostert is a 30-year-old back with an extensive injury history.
Samantha Previte: After writing Wilson off, the former 49er is back and already outperforming Mostert. He logged nine carries for 51 yards and caught three passes for 21 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins' 35-32 win over the Bears.
Mostert saw nine carries for 26 yards and a touchdown, but he was not involved in the passing game. Mostert was also out-snapped 28 to 27 by Wilson, who finished as the RB10 in half-PPR scoring in Week 9.
Wilson has been productive in the past and was the RB12 from Weeks 2 to 5 after Elijah Mitchell got hurt. That said, I would temper expectations the rest of the season as I am not sure how many more 67-point games the Dolphins will be involved in. This could also develop into a true 1A/1B situation, with Mostert mixed in as long as he is healthy.
The Dolphins next face the Browns' porous run defense, which ranks bottom five in fantasy points allowed to running backs. Wilson may be relevant once again.
Mike Triplett: I hate timeshares like these. Between Wilson and Mostert, it feels impossible to label either guy as 1A or 1B.
This doesn’t feel like an all-in FAAB bid, but how can you not take notice after Wilson just arrived via a Tuesday trade and immediately wound up with more snaps (28-27), touches (12-9), catches (3-0), yards from scrimmage (72-26), red-zone snaps (8-3) and red-zone touches (5-2) than Mostert?
Obviously, Wilson is pretty familiar with the offense that McDaniel runs since they worked together in San Francisco (along with Mostert). The Dolphins also traded away veteran back Chase Edmonds while Mostert’s injury history leaves the door open for an even bigger potential role.
