• James Cook finds the end zone three times: Cook ran for two touchdowns in all of 2022, two touchdowns in all of 2023, and two touchdowns on Thursday night.

• De’Von Achane sets a new career high: Achane managed more than 20 runs for the first time in his NFL career.

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

PFF’s fantasy football review focuses on player usage and statistics, providing all the essential information you need for fantasy success in 2024.

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins

• James Cook: 11 runs, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 pass reception, 17 yards gain, 1 touchdown gain
• De’Von Achane: 22 runs, 96 yards, 7 pass catches, 69 yards gain, 1 touchdown by gain

De’Von Achane used in a feature role: Acahne was used more often than most people expected. Raheem Mostert due to a chest injury.

For most of the game, Achane was the clear centerpiece of the Dolphins’ offense. Last season, he never played more than 63% of Miami’s offensive snaps in a game, even when Mostert was out with an injury. Achane was also on the injured list because of an ankle injury, where he was listed as non-participating on Monday and Tuesday and as limited on Wednesday.

Achane played 75% of Miami’s offensive actions in the first half and set a career-high number of touches in the third quarter. This is excellent news for anyone who drafted Achane, as he could keep that role while Mostert is out. If Mostert isn’t as effective as a runner as he was last season, we could end up in a situation where Achane is simply the starter while Mostert is the primary backup.

Jeff Wilson Jr. served as the first backup in the game and Jaylen Wright also made his NFL debut. The Dolphins began to rely more on their backups in the second half as the game was no longer winnable, but Jeff Wilson Jr. suffered an oblique injury in the fourth quarter and was ruled out. Wright was healthy and inactive in Week 1. He could be back in if both Mostert and Wilson are OK, but he could also be the primary backup with a larger workload next week if they aren’t well.

Jonnu Smith shines while the Dolphins have to catch up: Smith led the Dolphins in catches and receiving yards, but was still rotated with other Dolphins tight ends.

In Week 1, Smith played in 20 of 71 possible snaps, which is nowhere near enough for a fantasy starter. He played 14 of 23 snaps in 11-personnel groups and just six snaps in other person groups. This week, he played just a little more in 11-personnel groups and a little more outside of 11-personnel groups, percentage-wise. The difference this week is that the Dolphins trailed by double digits midway through the second quarter, so they spent a lot more time in 11-personnel groups.

Miami has put more effort into getting the ball to Smith this week than it did last week before the blowout victory — a scheduled target early in the first quarter and again early in the second. He’ll likely see two or three of those targets per game, but it’s going to be tough for him to get enough playing time to be a fantasy starter most weeks. He’s fine to have on your roster if the benches are deep enough to justify a second tight end, but I’d only use him if the Dolphins are underdogs, as his playing time is very game-dependent.

Monitor the status of Tua Tagovailoa: The Dolphins’ starting quarterback suffered a concussion late in the third quarter and was quickly taken out of the game.

While players who get injured on Thursday night have a better chance of making a comeback thanks to the extended time off, Tagovailoa’s History of concussionsThere’s a good chance the Dolphins will be extra cautious given his history, which could result in Tagovailoa being out for some time.

The Dolphins had a quarterback battle during training camp, and Skylar Thompson won. He was the backup quarterback in that game and will be the starter while Tagovailoa is out. This is a step backwards for everyone on the Dolphins offense, but Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Achane should remain in the fantasy starting lineups.

We wish Tagovailoa all the best in his recovery from this concussion.

Dalton Kincaid misses a lot of playing time: Kincaid was used and substituted throughout the game.

Kincaid played the first four snaps of the game, but took a knee to the head. He didn’t play the last two snaps of the drive, and didn’t play the next drive at all. He switched out a little more often than fantasy managers would like for the rest of the game. He was still on the field for most passing plays, but Dawson Knox stayed on the field for running situations.

The Bills also rotated Kincaid a bit early in Week 1, playing just 15 of 22 snaps in the first half, but the Bills trailed by halftime, so Kincaid played 36 of 39 snaps in the second half. Regardless, the Bills aren’t using 12-man as often as they did last season because of their greater depth at wide receiver, so the tight ends are getting fewer snaps.

If the Bills continue to be one of the top teams in the NFL and have those positive game histories, that could be bad news for Kincaid’s fantasy managers. It’s also possible that the team was cautious after he took the knee to the head, but in that case he shouldn’t have played at all, especially when they led by multiple touchdowns. He caught four passes for 33 yards, which isn’t bad, but fantasy managers were hoping for more, especially considering how much the Dolphins allowed to tight ends last season.

Miscellaneous notes

• Newcomer among the wide receivers Malik Washington missed his second consecutive game due to a quadriceps injury. Robbie selected was again promoted from the training squad to replace him.
• Both Tyreek Hill And Jaylen Waddle hardly played in the fourth quarter because Tua Tagovailoa was out and the game was unwinnable. Of the 59 plays in the first three quarters, Waddle played 51 and Hill played 49.
• Bills wide receiver as a free agent Curtis Samuel remains a clear fourth on the wide receiver rankings. Some of his snaps came out of the backfield in four wide receiver sets. He can be dropped in most fantasy leagues, as he can only be a starter if Khalil Shakir suffers an injury.
• While James Cook And Ray Davis were close together on the runs, with Davis doing most of the work in the fourth quarter when the Bills were up by three points. Cook ran the ball 10 times in the first three quarters, while Davis carried it three times.

Notes on the table

• Snaps include plays that were called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. These plays have been removed from the other three statistics.
• Targeting may vary from official NFL sources. The most likely deviation would be a clearly blocked pass, where the NFL may assign the target to the closest receiver, whereas this data does not.
• Turnovers are only allowed on planned plays. Quarterback scrambles do not count toward the total number of turnovers in the game.