Monday Night Football Week 10 Preview
Miami Dolphins (2-6) vs Los Angeles Rams (4-4)
- Spread: Rams -2.5
- Over/ Under: 48.5
Breakdown
The Dolphins find themselves at a lackluster 2-6 to start the season and have a tough test with the Rams who have won 3 straight games. This is a very important game for both teams. The Dolphins need to win this game to right the ship and keep any small inkling of a playoff hope alive. While the Rams need this win to keep pace in a very competitive NFC West division. The Dolphins have struggled due to Tua Tagovailoa’s injury. Tua missed 4 games and the team only managed to win 1 of those games. Since returning from injury 2 games ago, Tua has thrown for 465 yards total, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. They lost both games by 3 or less points. The Dolphins are a much more competitive team with Tua and no one is happier to see Tua back in action than top pass-catcher, Tyreek Hill. Hill has been quiet this season, but so has the entirety of the Dolphins offense. In the last two games, Hill has 72 and 80 receiving yards, he never eclipsed more than 70 yards in the games Tua Missed. Speedy halfback De’Von Achane has been a game-wrecker when the team can utilize him. Even with the offense being held in check for half the season, Achane has scored 5 touchdowns and been efficient as both a rusher and a pass catcher. When this Dolphins offense is clicking on all levels, they are one of the hardest offenses to slow down in the league.
The Rams have battled major injuries all season as well. Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have missed the majority of the season but find themselves both healthy in what is shaping up to be a competitive battle for a playoff spot in the NFC. These two pass catchers are vital to the success of the team and the efficiency of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford has looked solid thus far but has not put up great stats, passing for 246 yards per game on average, but only throwing 9 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions. Kyren Williams has been a workhorse for this team and has been playing at a very high level all season. He has 161 carries through 8 games, all other running backs on the roster only have a combined 31 carries. Kyren Williams scored a touchdown in 7 straight games to start the season, coming just short in his week 9 contest.
Keys To Victory
Dolphins: Utilize the Elite Playmakers. Tyreek Hill is starting to be utilized more now with Tua, but where has Jaylen Waddle been? Waddle scored his first touchdown of the season in week 9, but only saw 2 targets in the contest. Waddle, Hill and Achane are the game wreckers on this offense and the Dolphins need to find a way to utilize 3 of the quickest players in the league in their offense. When the offense is clicking, all of them are involved and that’s incredibly tough for defenses to cover all that speed.
Rams: Run Game Efficiency. This really comes down to how efficiently Kyren Williams can rush the ball. Kupp and Puka Nacua will be heavily involved in the passing attack, but Williams needs to effectively rush the ball to prevent the offense from being too one-sided. Kyren is an excellent goal line back but can be an ineffective rusher at times. He is averaging 75 yards a game rushing and 3.7 yards per carry.
Prop Bet Pick
De’Von Achane Over 45.5 Receiving Yards (-120)
Achane should be heavily involved in the pass-catching aspect of the offense in this contest, given how good the Rams pass rush has been this season. He has 8 targets in back-to-back games since Tua has returned from injury. He has recorded 50 and 58 receiving yards in those games. He can take any touch he gets to the endzone and in a game that is projected to see quite a few scores, I expect Achane to see plenty of targets to get this accomplished.
DFS Value Pick
Dolphins: Jonnu Smith. Smith has seen plenty of targets this season and Tua has no problem checking the ball down to his veteran tight end. The Dolphins even scheme up some tight end screens for Smith. Jonnu Smith has seen 6 or more targets in each of the last 4 games.
Rams: Demarcus Robinson. Robinson has been on fire as of late and has the third receiver role safely carved out. Robinson has caught 2 touchdowns in each of the last 2 games. Teams have their hands full trying to defend Kupp and Nacua, making Robinson a very effective third option in the pass catching offense.
