Fantasy Benchwarmers

Quinn Ewers will make his first NFL start this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Dolphins players will get the benefit of not playing a game that is under 40 degrees (team is terrible in cold weather).

How did this come to be? Head Coach Mike McDaniel said in a press conference on Wednesday, “I need convicted quarterback play…I thought Quinn gave us the best chance to do that.”

His confidence in Tua has dwindled over the season after uninspiring performance after another, putting this team in a rough spot with three games left. With the benching of their $100 million QB, that opens the door for Ewers to impress the Dolphins front office and force them to make a tough decision this offseason. Will he help improve this team or is just another quarterback to fill up some space?

With weapons like Achane, Waddle and Waller healthy and available, all Ewers has to do is not be scared. Play scared and his shot is gone. In the one previous game he entered into this season, he went 5/8 for 52 yards at Cleveland in garbage time. Not too bad considering the pass rush is led by Myles Garrett. But the defense they are going against is nothing like the Browns.

The Bengals ranked dead last in rushing defense and 28th in passing defense by giving up 245 passing yards per game. This is the perfect week to start Ewers and give the Dolphins offense a jumpstart… hopefully.

Who is going to benefit this week? Devon Achane stands to benefit the most as the dual-threat will continue to be the workhorse of this offense, even more with Ewers needing a reliable pass-catcher to get comfortable early in the game. Achane has been averging 20.8 fantasy ppg in ppr leagues and 18.6 in half-ppr leagues. Both numbers are fantastic for a top 5 running back and for any fantasy situation.

I’m thinking a boom performance is coming from Devon Achane this week seeming him score north of 20 fantasy points no matter what league format you are playing.

With a dominant rb in Achane, does that mean Quinn Ewers is a viable fantasy option? In dynasty leagues, 100% yes. For teams currently in the hunt for a championship, only if you are in a superflex league. Ewers will not be worth taking the risk for the last 2 weeks of the season. If your championship is this week, I would slot him into the superflex slot right now. The potential is there for a good performance from the rookie qb. Don’t forget he played at Texas and produced 2 separate seasons of over 3,400 passing yards, and yes, one was in SEC play.

It’s time for a change in Miami and I believe that starts this Sunday with a new era of Quinn Ewers being the future of the Dolphins.