Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills Matchup Preview 10/20/19: Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy

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If there was anything that could have perfectly summed up Miami’s season so far, it was Kenyan Drake dropping the 2 point conversion that would have possibly won them their Sunday game against the Redskins. The Dolphins have been plagued by mistakes like dropped passes for the entirety of their season, mistakes that really shouldn’t be happening in the NFL. The Bills, on the other hand, have been exceeding a lot of expectations this season. They’re 4-1 right now, their only loss being to the Patriots. They were able to hold the Patriots to their lowest scoring game of the season with just 16 points, their second lowest being 30 against the Jets. The Bills are the heavy favorites in this game, as Miami has looked underpowered this season and the Josh Allen-led bills are looking stronger than a lot of people imagined they would be this season. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills matchup page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, October 20th, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: New Era Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Coverage: CBS

Injury Report

Dolphins: Xavien Howard (Q), Jakeem Grant (Q), Ken Webster (Q), Avery Moss (Q), James Crawford (O)
Bills: Taron Johnson (Q), Cody Ford (Q), Devin Singletary (Q), Corey Thompson (Q), Ty Nsekhe (Q), Robert Foster (Q), Trent Murphy (Q), Tyler Kroft (Q) Matt Milano (Q), Mitch Morse (Q), Harrison Phillips (O)

Miami Dolphins Analysis

The Dolphins have had a really rough start to their season. Offensively, They’re last in the league for points scored with 42, second last for yards per game with 234.2. Rosen was playing as well as he could, but he wasn’t surrounded by an environment that promoted success and his stats suffered for it. He was replaced by Fitzpatrick on Sunday after throwing 2 interceptions, who helped bring the game close again. However, in a moment that perfectly summarizes the Dolphins season, Kenyan Drake dropped the throw that looked like it had a chance to give them the win on a 2-point conversion. The Bills are rated 3rd in the league for least yards allowed per game, with 275.0. The struggling Miami offense is going to need an extra helping of Fitzmagic if they’re going to get anywhere against the Bills defense. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, and they’ve shown that they have some potential against the Redskins, but it’s going to be difficult for them to deliver on it.

Defensively, the Dolphins have also had a rough go of it this season. The Dolphins allow the most yards per game with an average of 439.8. They also allow the highest average points per game, with 36. The Bills are ranked 10th in the league when it comes to average yardage, and an offense that productive is going to prove challenging for the Dolphins defense to contain. These shortcomings are why the Bills are heavy favorites on Sunday.

Miami Dolphins Depth Chart

QB: Josh Rosen
RB1: Kenyan Drake
RB2: Kalen Ballage
WR1: DeVante Parker
WR2: Jakeem Grant
WR3: Albert Wilson
TE: Nick O’Leary

Buffalo Bills Analysis

I don’t think a lot of people expected the Bills to look so strong this year. Josh Allen has been playing pretty well, and their run game has been impressive. In week 4, Frank Gore put up 109 yards on 17 carries against the Patriots defense, one of the best run defenses in the league this year. Despite his age he’s still been super effective for the Bills, and a big part of their offense. Allen put up 26 yards and a touchdown on 5 carries. Allen has been damaging on the run. With 158 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year, he’s put up better numbers than some running backs.

It is important, however, to consider the Bills’s schedule so far. In week 1 they played the Jets, who are 1-4 right now. In week 2 they beat the Giants, who are currently at 2-4. Week 3 was against the 0-6 Bengals. Week 4 was their impressive defensive showing against the powerful Patriots offense, and week 5 was against the 2-4 Titans. I’m not saying that they’re not a good team; Allen has been playing really well and they’re looking strong. However, I think it’s important to keep in mind that every win of theirs has been against a team that currently has a losing record. I don’t think this is going to matter when they’re up against the Dolphins, who are probably the worst team they’ll face so far this year, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind when considering how strong their defense really is going into the rest of the season. As of now though they’re 4th in the league for fewest points allowed with 70 on the year and 3rd in the league for fewest yards allowed, 275.0 on average. I think they’re going to have an easy time containing the Miami offense, and that’s mainly why they’re such heavy favorites for Sunday.

Buffalo Bills Depth Chart

QB: Josh Allen
RB1: Frank Gore
RB2: Devin Singletary
WR1: John Brown
WR2: Zay Jones
WR3: Cole Beasley
TE: Tyler Kroft

Daily Fantasy

Frank Gore is a great pickup for Sunday. His ownership percentage is still low enough to the point where he’s available in ~40% of leagues. If he’s on waiver in your league, pick him up. If he’s on your bench, you might want to consider putting him in for somebody who has a less favorable matchup this weekend. Gore ran for over 100 yards against a 3rd ranked Patriots rush defense; imagine what he can do against the 31st ranked Dolphins rush defense. I’d also start Josh Allen if you have him, or pick him up if he’s available. He’s been playing very well this year and with a matchup as favorable as this he’s bound to put up some points. I wouldn’t choose anyone on the Dolphins’ offense, as the Bills’ defense is going to be difficult for them to put up points.