The Miami Dolphins are getting back Jay Ajayi from a rib injury and the rookie running back could be a fantasy sleeper for the rest of this season behind Lamar Miller. The Dolphins are looking to bounce back in Week 9 and players like Rishard Matthews, Jarvis Landry, Jordan Cameron and Lamar Miller all could be solid fantasy starters for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
The Dolphins are taking on the Bills in another divisional game after losing to the New England Patriots and the team is looking for a better performance from the offense. The team only generated seven points against New England after averaging 40 under Dan Campbell in his first two games as head coach. Miller had a career day in Week 7 against the Texans, but he was stymied against the Patriots and now the addition of Ajayi could help open up the running game a bit more for Tannehill and Miller.
According to Pro Football Talk, Ajayi said that he is healthy and ready to return for the Dolphins after dealing with a rib injury. Ajayi was a fifth round pick from Boise State and he was expected to be the main backup for Miller this season, but he suffered cracked ribs in the preseason and was placed on IR with designation to return. Ajayi said that the eight weeks of being out were the "longest eight weeks" of his life and now that he has been able to practice, he could return for Week 9 against the Bills.
The Dolphins have been using Jonas Gray as the backup lately and Ajayi could spell him behind Miller. Ajayi has returned to practice over the past couple weeks and he will try and pick up where he left off in the preseason, where he had over 100 total yards in the final game before getting injured. Miller has been playing well since Campbell took over, as he went over 110 yards in the first two games under the new coach, but against the Patriots he had just 15 yards on nine carries.
The Dolphins are hoping adding back Ajayi can give defenses some different looks and that could help boost the rushing attack. Ajayi can catch the ball out of the backfield and that should force defenses to keep an eye on him, which could help Tannehill in the passing game as well. Tannehill had a strong game against the Texans with four touchdowns, but against the Patriots he had two picks and zero touchdowns and he will be looking to rebound as well.
The Dolphins have solid fantasy options for this week against the Bills, as Rishard Matthews and Jarvis Landry have been putting up strong numbers this season. Landry is the clear number one, but Matthews is worth a look for owners as well, as he has emerged as the number two option for Tannehill over Kenny Stills. Matthews comes in after making seven catches on 12 targets against the Patriots and he could be a solid WR2 or WR3 for fantasy owners this weekend.