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Are this year’s Dolphins a mirror of last year’s Bengals? | Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast

Ahead of Thursday night’s showdown between the AFC foes, Matt Harmon and Dalton Del Don discuss how Miami’s early success this season compares to Cincinnati’s run last season to a Super Bowl berth. Hear the full conversation on the Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

[INTRO SOUND EFFECTS]

MATT HARMON: Producer Jon Lord Podcast put on the outline, like, are the 2022 Dolphins sort of a mirror of the 2021 Bengals? Which I think is actually an interesting question because, for one, we've got a young quarterback. They're actually the same draft class, Tua and Joe Burrow. But you put an alpha-level receiver in Ja'Marr Chase in with another alpha-level receiver in Tee Higgins and you get this unbelievable, efficient passing attack for the Bengals last year that was just like deep strike after deep strike after deep strike to the point that I think they're actually kind of trying to-- they're kind of struggling a little bit to find like a second counter-punch. They're getting a little-- they'll figure it out as things go on, but--

I'll never forget this year when Joe Burrow went to the sideline to Zac Taylor and, like, you could clearly tell him, like, stop running empty. We have to stop running these empty formations because we can't pass protect.

Obviously, the Dolphins have undergone the same sort of transition, just with a veteran guy-- one of the top five receivers in the game in Tyreek Hill-- comes along and Jaylen Waddle. Nothing has made me happier this year, Dalton, than seeing Jaylen Waddle taken out of that little like pop gun role he was in last year. And Mike McDaniel, the boy is just letting it rip with Jaylen Waddle downfield. So I feel great about the Dolphins' pass offense.

And Tua, I think, deserves a lot of respect at this point. He's been really good. And how good he is, where he ends up ranking, he's been a very good player so far.

DALTON DEL DON: Yeah. I wish Waddle's knee injury didn't scare me off. A couple more of my teams I would have had him. I have in the one we're in together, by the way, in which you beat me by like 0.0001 points this weekend.

MATT HARMON: Yeah, that's right, baby.

DALTON DEL DON: I had Barkley in. Yeah, but Waddle looks fantastic. And I think Waddle and Tyreek Hill you absolutely have to project as both top 10 PPR receivers moving forward. Tua has been amazing on third and fourth down in the fourth quarter, and in the red zone. All those stats, just crazy, crazy impressive. Apparently put in a lot of work in the off-season to strengthen his arm, and it's really shown up. I hope he's healthy. I don't know. I mean, it was wild to see him return for the second half last week.

But yeah, man, watching McDaniel thrive as a head coach, I'm a little jealous seeing him leave San Francisco and be among the league leaders in pass rate over expectation. It seems like he gets it.

MATT HARMON: Yeah.