The Miami Dolphins likely will be without Rishard Matthews in Week 13 after the wide receiver suffered a rib injury and that could give rookie DeVante Parker the chance to step up for Ryan Tannehill. Fellow rookie Jay Ajayi had a solid game ahead of Lamar Miller last week and both players could be fantasy start options, while center Mike Pouncey was able to return to practice leading into the Ravens game this weekend.
Matthews was injured last week against the Jets on a hard hit from Calvin Pryor and after the game the Miami Herald reported that Matthews could "miss a week" with the injury. Rand Getlin at NFL.com reports that Matthews is dealing with "multiple fractured ribs" after the hit from Pryor and that could keep him sidelined for at least one game and possibly more. DeVante Parker now has the chance to play more, as he stepped in and had his most productive game of the season last week after Matthews left with an injury.
Parker was a first round pick in the draft this year for Miami, but he got off to a slow start after having foot surgery in the summer. Parker ended up getting 10 targets in the game against the Jets and finished with four catches and his first touchdown of the season. The Dolphins have been raving about the potential of Parker all season and this was his first real chance to play after being buried on the depth chart. Parker now has eight catches for 129 yards this season and he will be looking to put up another solid performance this week.
Lamar Miller has been one of the better fantasy players for team owners this season while being the lead back for the Dolphins, but last week he was a major bust and lost touches to rookie Jay Ajayi. Miller finished the game against the Jets with just five carries for two yards and three receptions for 11 yards and while he likely will get more touches moving forward, Ajayi could be the better option this week. Ajayi was on the field for more snaps than Miller and he had 58 total yards in the game and was targeted six times by Tannehill.
The Dolphins offense may look a bit different with Bill Lazor out and now Zac Taylor could push things in the run game, according to Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald. Tannehill said he is "excited" about getting to work with Taylor and it will be interesting to see how much the running game gets involved early in the game on Sunday compared to how Lazor was using the running backs.
Center Mike Pouncey was able to return to practice after being carted off the field last week with an injury. According to the Palm Beach Post, Pouncey said that he felt "great today" after dealing with a foot injury. Pouncey was originally listed as "day-to-day" and he could play this week after practicing.