Unsettled situations: Miami Dolphins backfield

Rumors swirling around Miami’s intentions make for a tough prediction.

You have to go back to the 2016 season to find the last time the Miami Dolphins ranked in the upper half of the NFL in rushing. In the six years since, Miami has ranked 29th, 18th, 32nd, 22nd, 30th, and 25th, respectively — last year’s finish represented an average of 99.2 yards per game. Despite limited success in that department under first-year head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins brought back their two leading rushers in running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., both of whom followed McDaniel from the San Francisco 49ers to Miami.

They didn’t play a pat hand, though, using a third-round pick on RB De’Von Achane, a move that likely signaled the end of the line for holdover RBs Salvon Ahmed and/or Myles Gaskin. Even with that, there’s some belief that the Dolphins aren’t done making moves at the running back position, as they’ve been frequently mentioned as a possible destination for free-agent RB Dalvin Cook, who was released by the Minnesota Vikings in June.

For now, however, Cook remains a free agent, so we’re going to look at what Miami has available in their running back room as of today, and what we might expect from them, barring another move.

Fantasy football: 2023 NFL free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange players, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players sign/re-sign in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

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Trying to make sense of Miami’s crowded backfield

How do we see Miami’s murky backfield shaking out in fantasy?

Despite going a combined 19-14 over the past two seasons, the Miami Dolphins effectively blew things up this offseason, replacing head coach Brian Flores with San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, and then aggressively overhauling their depth chart. While the acquisition of wide receiver Tyreek Hill grabbed the headlines, the Dolphins’ backfield saw plenty of attention as well — that should come as no surprise given Myles Gaskin led the team in rushing with just 612 yards.

In an effort to put a more dynamic ground game around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Miami signed a trio of backs in free agency: Chase Edmonds (two years, $12.6 million), Raheem Mostert (one year, $3.125 million), and Sony Michel (one year, $2.1 million). Gaskin returns as well. It’s a crowded backfield, so let’s look at the candidates to see who’s worthy of your attention.

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