Is Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson Jr. the Dolphins' Starting RB? Should I Pickup Wilson For Fantasy Football?

On trade deadline day, the Miami Dolphins traded away Chase Edmonds as a part of the Bradley Chubb deal, all but solidifying their trust in Raheem Mostert as the starting running back. 

A few minutes later, they traded a fifth-round pick to San Francisco for RB Jeff Wilson Jr.

The Dolphins have been a very focused offense for fantasy purposes with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle taking up most of the relevancy and the RBs picking up the rest of the scraps. The starting RB in this high-powered offense has a rock-solid outlook as an RB2.

Raheem Mostert's Week 9 Performance

Raheem Mostert started the season projected to be running behind Chase Edmonds, but quickly grasped the RB1 role in the Miami offense. From Week 4 to Week 8, Mostert’s carry total never dipped below 14 and his snap percentage never dipped below 62%.

Then along came Wilson. In the Week 9 shootout in Chicago, Mostert took 45% of the snaps. He had nine carries for 26 yards and a day-saving touchdown, along with two targets that amounted to no catches.

Jeff Wilson Jr.'s Week 9 Performance

Jeff Wilson was having a strong fantasy season in relief for the injured Elijah Mitchell until San Francisco traded for Christian McCaffrey and sent him back to the waiver wire in most leagues. His trade to Miami quickly put him back on the fantasy radar.

In his first game in Miami, just five days after being traded to the team, Wilson had nine carries for 51 yards along with three receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown on a 51% snap share. Anybody who hung onto him or picked him up post-trade had to be encouraged by the outing.

Is Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson Jr. A Stronger Fantasy Football Play?

Moving forward, the Miami Dolphins' backfield will be one to keep a close watch on. With snaps and carries being virtually even in the pair’s first game together, it will be interesting to see if this remains a split backfield moving forward.

Given that Wilson had slightly higher usage just five days after joining the team, he looks like the running back to roster in Miami right now. He was the more efficient runner in the Chicago game, and this may lead to the backfield shifting heavier in his favor as we saw with Mostert over Edmonds earlier this season.

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