Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: MIA 24, NYJ 10 (Line: MIA by 4.5)

UPDATE: Michael Vick was benched and Geno Smith is back as starter and ready for more turnovers. TE Jace Amaro has not practiced and is not likely to play. Charles Clay has been held out of practices but is still expected to play. Since this is a Monday night game, you are taking a risk in hoping Clay does play.

The 6-5 Dolphins head to New York to face the 2-9 Jets and reprise their divisional matchup that will repeat in the season finale. The Fins won 23-3 in New York last year.

The schedule has been no friend to these Dolphins who nearly won in Denver and Detroit and against the Packers. The defense has been solid and while the rushing offense has lagged, at least Ryan Tannehill has taken a definite step up and is keeping the Fins in games. The Dolphins already beat the Patriots in the season opener and replay then in two weeks. They traded wins with the Bills and have two meetings with the Jets starting with this game. The Fins cannot catch up to the Patriots who have a three game lead but can still compete for a wildcard. This team is better than last year and better than their standings reflect.

QUARTERBACK : Ryan Tannehill scored in every game this year and has a total of 20 touchdowns already against just eight interceptions. He still has not broken 300 yards in a game yet but averages 235 yards and has been improving as the season progresses. Tannehill ran in his first rushing score last week in Denver.

RUNNING BACK : Lamar Miller gets the full load such as it exists in Miami. He’s rushed more than 15 times in only one game and has just one 100 yard effort but adds a few catches and averages over 60 rush yards per week. Daniel Thomas has just a few runs for relief but stole the short touchdown last week. Miller scored six times this year but only once since week seven.

WIDE RECEIVER : Mike Wallace has been the primary wideout all year and scored seven times. He’s been limited to around five catches per week and has yet to gain more than 81 yards from the season opener. If there is one complaint – and it continues to exist – it is that Tannehill does not throw a good deep ball which limits all wideouts. Jarvis Landry has developed nicely as the season progressed and scored four times over the last four games. Landry is also limited to short throws and has not gained more than 75 yards in any game.

TIGHT END : Charles Clay scored twice this year but has been only reliable for around 30 yards per game.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: This is the good part. The Jets are horrible against the pass. They have already allowed 27 passing touchdowns this year and solid yardage to every opponent. Their rush defense has taken a hit in recent weeks but is better at home anyway and the Dolphins can only dream about having even an average rushing attack. These are the Jets and that means Miller is a very low end starter but Tannehill, Wallace and even Landry should be considered. Clay is no lock for a score but if you are desperate, the Jets have already given up 12 scores to tight ends.

Times are tough, then they get bad and then you lose in Buffalo by 35 points. The Jets pulled off the trap game on the Steelers but the glow did not last. Now there is no certainty as to who the starting quarterback will be because losing means making changes to show you are still trying but when you have already spun through both options and still end up 2-9. it still doesn’t matter. At this point there is no confidence that the same quarterback will both start and finish a game.

QUARTERBACK : I will assume that Michael Vick gets the nod and update if that is confirmed to change during the week. Vick has been surprisingly ineffective and still has not reached 200 passing yards in any game. he is better with turnovers than Geno Smith which is his only saving grace. Case in point about changing quarterbacks, Vick was yanked after only completing 7 of 19 passes for 76 yards in Buffalo so that Geno Smith could throw for 89 yards. There is no answer here regardless. This is the lowest ranked set of quarterbacks in the NFL.

RUNNING BACK : Chris Ivory remains the starter but hasn’t done much in the last three weeks. He was on a short roll when he scored three times in weeks seven and eight but has been ineffective since. Chris Johnson ran in one score all year and has remained under fantasy relevance all year. He occasionally shows up with 60 yards in a game but he’s a nonfactor. He does more than just endorse checks like Maurice Jones-Drew, but not a lot more.

WIDE RECEIVER : Eric Decker is getting paid a big pile of cash and he is earning it relative to all the other wideouts here. But Decker only scored four times so far and hasn’t topped 63 yards in any game. Percy Harvin needed only a few weeks to fit right in. He started out with 129 yards on 11 catches in Kansas City but now is down to only one catch for two yards last week in Buffalo. It’s not that hard being not that good.

TIGHT END : Jace Amaro remains in the concussion protocol and is likely to miss this week.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: It doesn’t matter really. Ivory is a marginal fantasy start at best and he doesn’t even get to carry a full load. The Fins have allowed about one passing score in most games and that has been high side for the Jets. A home game helps, but revolving quarterbacks doesn’t and the blocking is bad enough that it doesn’t matter much anyway. Decker is a low end WR3 in any given week and may not be that good here.

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