The Dolphins are kind of a train wreck, with their owner a key figure in the Brian Flores lawsuit for hiring/firing practices and allegedly offering financial incentives to lose, and major questions at quarterback and running back, among others. It's not a team that inspires excitement in fantasy leagues.
Those issues make it easy to overlook their defense, which has somehow managed to be one of the best in fantasy leagues two years in a row. That's even while inexplicably trading away one of the league's best defensive backs in two-time All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick. (Perhaps not so inexplicable, if losing was the goal.)
In any case, there are only two defenses that have finished in the top 5 in fantasy production (1 point for sacks, 2 for takeaways, 6 for touchdowns) in each of the last two seasons. One is the Colts, led by All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard. The other is the Dolphins.
Table shows Sack, Takeaway and Fantasy Points per game (and ranking) for 2020 and 2021, sorted by '21 rank.
| TOP FANTASY DEFENSES, 2020-2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Sk(20) | Tk(20) | FF(20) | Sk(21) | Tk(21) | FF(21) | Rk(20) | Rk(21) |
| Dallas | 31 | 23 | 5.9 | 41 | 34 | 9.6 | 15 | 1 |
| Miami | 41 | 29 | 7.3 | 48 | 26 | 8.0 | 4 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 23 | 22 | 4.3 | 51 | 24 | 7.2 | 28 | 3 |
| Indianapolis | 40 | 25 | 8.3 | 33 | 33 | 7.0 | 1 | 4 |
| Tampa Bay | 48 | 25 | 6.6 | 47 | 29 | 6.9 | 9 | 5 |
| New England | 24 | 22 | 5.8 | 36 | 30 | 6.7 | 16 | 6 |
| Kansas City | 32 | 22 | 6.4 | 31 | 29 | 6.6 | 11 | 7 |
| New Orleans | 45 | 26 | 6.6 | 46 | 25 | 6.4 | 10 | 8 |
| Buffalo | 38 | 26 | 7.1 | 42 | 30 | 6.4 | 5 | 8 |
| Arizona | 48 | 21 | 5.8 | 41 | 27 | 6.3 | 16 | 10 |
| LA Rams | 53 | 22 | 7.7 | 50 | 25 | 6.2 | 3 | 11 |
| Tennessee | 19 | 23 | 4.8 | 43 | 22 | 6.2 | 23 | 12 |
| Pittsburgh | 56 | 27 | 8.1 | 55 | 22 | 6.2 | 2 | 12 |
| Green Bay | 41 | 18 | 5.7 | 39 | 26 | 6.1 | 18 | 14 |
| Chicago | 35 | 18 | 5.3 | 49 | 16 | 5.9 | 20 | 15 |
| San Francisco | 30 | 20 | 4.8 | 48 | 20 | 5.9 | 26 | 16 |
| Houston | 34 | 9 | 3.6 | 32 | 25 | 5.6 | 29 | 17 |
| Cincinnati | 17 | 17 | 3.6 | 42 | 21 | 5.6 | 30 | 17 |
| Washington | 47 | 23 | 7.1 | 38 | 19 | 5.5 | 6 | 19 |
| Cleveland | 38 | 21 | 6.0 | 43 | 19 | 5.5 | 12 | 20 |
| Philadelphia | 49 | 19 | 6.7 | 29 | 16 | 5.4 | 8 | 21 |
| LA Chargers | 27 | 19 | 4.9 | 35 | 21 | 5.2 | 22 | 22 |
| NY Giants | 40 | 22 | 6.0 | 34 | 22 | 5.1 | 12 | 23 |
| Denver | 42 | 16 | 5.0 | 36 | 19 | 4.7 | 21 | 24 |
| Seattle | 46 | 22 | 6.0 | 34 | 18 | 4.7 | 12 | 24 |
| Carolina | 29 | 22 | 5.7 | 39 | 16 | 4.6 | 18 | 26 |
| NY Jets | 31 | 19 | 4.8 | 33 | 14 | 4.3 | 23 | 27 |
| Atlanta | 29 | 21 | 4.8 | 18 | 20 | 4.2 | 23 | 28 |
| Baltimore | 39 | 22 | 6.9 | 34 | 15 | 4.1 | 7 | 29 |
| Detroit | 24 | 12 | 3.5 | 30 | 19 | 4.0 | 31 | 30 |
| Las Vegas | 21 | 15 | 3.2 | 35 | 15 | 3.9 | 32 | 31 |
| Jacksonville | 18 | 17 | 4.4 | 32 | 9 | 3.6 | 27 | 32 |
The team's defensive coordinator in each of those seasons, Josh Boyer, perhaps deserves some credit. But Boyer was hired as a defensive assistant by Flores, after the two worked together in New England, so it can be presumed that Flores also was involved in running the defense. Flores is gone, so either Boyer will now get a chance to shine, or this defense will take a step back.
There's some playmaking talent. Cornerback Xavien Howard (pictured) has 15 interceptions the last two seasons, while Emmanuel Ogbah has had 9 sacks in each of the last two years. But Ogbah is headed for free agency, and it feels like the Dolphins won't be a hot destination for players this offseason.
Come preseason, I don't expect to have the Dolphins among my top 10 at the position. Will need to see what changes occur in the offseason, but with Flores gone and Ogbah a question mark, seems more likely this defense takes a step back.
--Andy Richardson