Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin is going to get an opportunity to “run it back” in 2021 after commandeering the primary ball carrier role for the Dolphins last season — one of the more surprising developments for an offense that spent to bring in free agent running back Jordan Howard and seemingly tried their best to enable him to be a prominent fixture in the backfield.
But Gaskin would not be denied; his versatility and improved agility behind a Dolphins line that wasn’t necessarily the best at sustaining their run fits allowed him to be a more consistent runner and, eventually, be the guy when healthy in the backfield.
Yet despite the successes and averaging nearly 100 yards from scrimmage per game played (97 yards per game in 10 games), many expected the Dolphins to go a different direction this offseason. They did not. So what should we expect from Gaskin this upcoming season?
Here are a handful of projected stat lines for Gaskin’s 2021 season courtesy of some of the more popular fantasy football services:
Yahoo! Fantasy
Myles Gaskin – 863 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns, 41.6 receptions, 348 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown (1,211 yards from scrimmage)
ESPN
Myles Gaskin – 863 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns, 51 receptions, 389 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns (1,252 yards from scrimmage)
CBS Sports
Myles Gaskin – 832 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdowns, 49 receptions, 418 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns (1,250 yards from scrimmage)
The projections for Gaskin are nothing if not consistent for the season ahead. And if free agent addition Malcolm Brown is going to be a more productive short yardage runner than what the Dolphins received in Howard last season, this amount of backfield production could work. It seems, based on the Dolphins’ investments, that they hope to pass to set up the run this year — which means volume rushing production may not be the best measure of success on the ground for Miami. Instead, the key to success will be rooted in situational football; can the team convert runs on the ground when they need to in order to close a game?
If the answer there is yes, then the Dolphins should feel good about their odds to being a 10+ win team once again in 2021.