2021 Miami Dolphins Betting Preview: Odds, Lines, & Predictions

2021 Miami Dolphins Betting Preview

The rebuild was done faster than Miami would have thought and now all of the pressure is on head coach Brian Flores and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to try and make it to the playoffs. No one thought the Dolphins were going to be as good as they were last year, which is a far cry for the “Tank for Tua” team just two seasons ago. The Dolphins are another one of those teams jockeying for a playoff spot, although there is a chance they can beat the Bills for the AFC East crown this season. The Dolphins are a complete team with quality players on both sides of the ball. Their defense was probably their stronger unit because they have excellent turnover creating players like Emmanuel Ogbah, Bernardrick McKinney, Byron Jones, Xavien Howard, Eric Rowe, and new speedy and powerful pass-rushing rookie Jaelan Phillips.

Their offense wasn’t a joke either and although Ryan Fitzpatrick is gone as the safety quarterback, they are still a dangerous team. On the outside, the Dolphins have solid playmakers like Davante Parker, new free agent Will Fuller, and rookie sensation Jaylen Waddle. In the backfield, they have Myles Gaskin leading the charge with Malcolm Brown on the bench ready to give him a break. The real question with the Dolphins is their second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If he is the franchise quarterback Miami believes him to be, then the Dolphins are no doubt in the playoffs. If he is not good, like what many people hypothesize, then the Dolphins are screwed for the present and future. The Dolphins are an interesting team because they are a quarterback away from the playoffs and we shall see if Tua can be that guy.

2020 Miami Dolphins Team Stats

• Points For: 408
• Points Against: 346
• Passing Yards Per Game: 233.5
• Rushing Yards Per Game: 105.5
• Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 251.5
• Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 116.4

Key Offseason Transactions

The Dolphins didn’t need as many key free agents like what they needed in the past couple of seasons. This Miami team is comprised of mostly young players who need to develop in order to maximize their talent. The only players that are going to make an impact for the Dolphins that wasn’t on the roster last year are WR Jaylen Waddle and LB Jaelan Phillips. Waddle is the blow the top-off receiver that the Dolphins needed because they lacked speed on the outside. Phillips was a necessary pick because he is the speed rusher to contrast with the big and powerful defensive linemen Miami already has. The other guy to mention for the Dolphins is WR Will Fuller who also brings speed to the perimeter. The issue with Fuller is that he misses extended periods of time due to injury. So if Fuller is healthy, then Miami should have no problem making people fear their downfield passing attack as they have 3 excellent receivers.

2020 Miami Dolphins Betting Stats

• Record: 10-6
• MOV: 4.1
• ATS: 11-5
• ATS +/-:  +4.6
• Over/Under: 7-9
• Total +/-:  +9

2021 Miami Dolphins Betting Outlook

The Dolphins are going to be one of the better teams to bet on in 2021. Being 11-5 ATS is no mistake, and that’s because Miami plays great complementary football. The Dolphins are able to run the ball with efficiency and they can also pass the ball well enough to keep the chains moving. Their defense was also a big part of their betting record as they forced the most turnovers in 2020 at a league-high 29. I don’t think they will get to 29 turnovers again this season, but their defense is still good enough to force the top 5 most turnovers in the NFL. The over/under is going to be dicey for the Dolphins because depending on how Tua looks from week to week, we could see a shift into whether you should be the over or under for the Dolphins.

Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Odds

The Dolphins have +3000 odds to win the Super Bowl in 2021. These are the 9th best odds in the entire league behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Tennesse Titans. At 30-1 odds, the Dolphins might not be a bad pick because of the deep and talented roster they have. If Tua can get his act together and play like the franchise guy the Dolphins believe him to be, there is no way that the Dolphins can’t compete in the AFC championship or Super Bowl.

Miami Dolphins Playoff Odds

Not many betting experts believe in the Dolphins to make the playoffs this season. The odds that the Dolphins don’t make the playoffs are at -167 while the odds that they do make the playoffs are at +137. The Dolphins are one of several teams that are bidding for a wild card spot this upcoming season. Teams like the Patriots, Ravens, Colts, Raiders, Chargers, Steelers, and Browns are all trying to compete for the 3 wild card spots with the Dolphins. The AFC is stacked this season and it wouldn’t be unreasonable if the Dolphins didn’t make the playoffs just like it would not be unreasonable for the Dolphins to make the playoffs.

Miami Dolphins Win Total Odds

The Dolphins are predicted to have 9 wins this season. Vegas set the line at 9 wins and this will be a close one come week 17. Over 9 wins have a payout of -150 odds while under 9 wins have a payout of +123 odds. Taking a look at the Miami schedule, we can see that the road to 9 wins won’t be easy. The Dolphins have to play the Jets, Patriots, and Bills twice as well as the Raiders, Colts, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Falcons, Texans, Ravens, Panthers, Giants, Saints, and Titans. Most of these games will be a coin flip with some games more guaranteed as wins than others. Right now it looks like the Dolphins are on pace for exactly 9 wins, as they will probably beat the Jaguars, Falcons, Texans, Patriots once, and Jets twice with toss-up games between the Colts, Raiders, Ravens, Giants, and Saints. I would take the over on the off chance that Tua explodes in his first full year as a starter.

Miami Dolphins Player Futures Odds

The Dolphins might not have an MVP quarterback yet, but they do have some players that could win the DPOY and Roy awards. CB Xavien Howard has +3650 odds to win DPOY which is a longshot. The good thing about Howard is that he plays in the secondary, so if he gets enough interceptions, he could win the DPOY just like Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore did in 2019. For the ROY, WR Jaylen Waddle has the best shot on the Dolphins at +1750. This is also a longshot as Waddle is behind the five first-round quarterbacks selected in this year’s draft as well as other receiving threats like Kyle Pitts, Ja’Marr Chase, and his old college pal DeVonta Smith.