The Miami Dolphins are looking to start the season with four straight wins with a victory on Monday night football and fantasy owners are hoping for big numbers from their top players, as Ryan Tannehill, Mike Wallace, Lamar Miller, Brian Hartline, Charles Clay and Daniel Thomas all could contribute in the Week 4 matchup.
Tannehill has been very solid this season and he matches up against a Saints defense that has been much improved defending the pass, ranking second this season after being one of the worst in 2012. The team will have to use smart sets with Wallace and Hartline to find seams against the Saints and Tannehill has shown that he is developing as a pocket passer and Mike Sherman will try and put him in spots where he can succeed.
Charles Clay will be a key player on Monday night and he is a good START option, as are Hartline and Tannehill, as this game on the turf could be high scoring. Clay has been solid in the passing game, making nine catches over the past two games and while he has just one rushing touchdown, he could be a good matchup option against the Saints in certain sets, especially on third downs.
Miller has started the season slow, but he appears to be heating up at the right time, as he has rushed for over 60 yards in each of the past two games and last week he averaged nearly eight yards per carry. Hartline is leading the team and he has 29 targets and is coming off another solid game with four catches for 56 yards and a TD. Wallace will be a prime target as well after last week when he made just two catches, as he will be looking to bounce back to have a game like he did against the Colts when he had nine catches for 115 yards and a TD.
Both Hartline and Wallace have benefitted from the accuracy of Tannehill, as he has completed over 60 percent of his passes in all three games this season and while he has just four touchdowns, he also has just two turnovers and ball protection has been one reason why the team has continued to play so well. Tannehill passed for 236 yards and two TDs last week and that came after his best game this season, a 319 yard day with one TD against the Colts that saw him beat fellow draftee in 2012 Andrew Luck.
Tannehill and Mike Sherman have been working well together since college and clearly it has been continuing in the NFL, as he is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes this season and Miami has to be happy with the way he is developing. According to ESPN.com, the Saints defense has been particularly good against the pass over the past two games allowing less than 140 yards per game and forcing three picks, so the Miami offense will have to be on the lookout.