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The Miami Dolphins added several new faces to their running back room in the offseason, signing free agents Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and Sony Michel to compete with incumbent Myles Gaskin.
Miami's offense has a chance to be much improved with offensive-minded Mike McDaniel taking over as the team's head coach. McDaniel previously served as the offensive coordinator for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. It is commonly known that Shanahan's offenses over the years have churned out fantasy RB1s almost annually.
That being said, there is very little clarity as to who will be the lead back for the Dolphins come Week 1. Let's dive in and take a look at who is the running back to target in Miami.
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Will Chase Edmonds Be Miami's Starting RB Based On His Huge Contract?
The Dolphins worked hard to overhaul much of their offense, with their most well-known move being to trade for and extend Tyreek Hill. Hill will team up with Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki to form an extremely athletic and explosive group of pass catchers.
Miami also showed that they don't have much faith in Myles Gaskin, giving Chase Edmonds a two-year, $12.1 million contract with $6.1 million guaranteed. Raheem Mostert secured a one-year, $2.125 million deal with $1 million guaranteed, while Sony Michel will play on a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
The team committed the most money, guaranteed money, and overall years to Edmonds to sign him away from the Arizona Cardinals. While this doesn't guarantee that Edmonds will be the lead back, it shows that Miami values what Edmonds brings to the table more than the other two backs. Edmonds has the explosiveness to fit in well in what should be a very good Miami offense in 2022.
Chase Edmonds looks explosive‼️ pic.twitter.com/Bckj2nPyzM
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) August 5, 2022
Which Miami RB Should I Draft In 2022?
Edmonds is the best bet to pop as the RB1 in Miami in 2022. He has several big fantasy performances on his resume, including 19 finishes as a weekly top-24 running back in fantasy over his career. He spent much of his time in Arizona playing behind another running back, Kenyan Drake, first and then James Conner in 2021. Still, when he got chances to be the lead back, he delivered quality performances regularly. Edmonds also has chops in the passing game, boasting 96 receptions over his past two seasons. Edmonds has also reportedly impressed thus far in training camp.
First play of team, Chase Edmonds races to the edge and wins it – cuts it up for a nice pick of 7 or 8. Speed on display there from Miami’s new back. Good seal by Austin Jackson.
— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) July 30, 2022
Mostert certainly has familiarity with McDaniel after playing under him with the 49ers. Still, the 30-year-old running back has struggled to stay on the field and will be tough to trust to play a full season again in 2022 at an age where most running backs begin to break down. Mostert is not the pass catcher that Edmonds is, with just 36 career receptions across 59 games. Michel is likely a depth piece who will only see playing time if there are injuries ahead of him.
Edmonds is worth a look as a second running back on fantasy teams or even as an RB1 for drafters who go zero RB. While he is likely to outscore Mostert, it is also a good strategy to target Mostert with a late-round pick as a dart throw. Based on the offensive system McDaniel comes from, it would be wise to come out of fantasy drafts with at least a piece of this backfield.
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