The Dolphins have a good offensive line

Second-year linebacker Cameron Wake is ready. He gave us a taste last season. The sparsely used pass-rushing specialist typically only played during passing situations, yet still complied 5.5 sacks in limited action, including 2.5 against Buffalo in week four.

Anyone who watched him play last year can tell he has a knack for getting to the quarterback. Wake is a force off the edge. The 6-3 250-pounder knows how to best utilize his explosiveness and strength at the point of attack. He accelerates quickly and overpowers lineman from a low stance, dominating the  leverage battle en route to the quarterback.

This offseason has been more mental than anything, for Wake. It’s been about pass coverages and play recognition. Everyone knows he can get to the quarterback, but being an every down player in this league requires more than that.

The Dolphins coaching staff wants the most out of him.

“Our hope is that he can be an every-down player,” said Coach Tony Sparano. “I would hope certainly that he can be an every-down player, that’s why we brought him here. It wasn’t just to be a pass-rush specialist."

A Long Road

Wake’s path to the NFL has been anything but steady. After a solid, yet unspectacular career at Penn State, he went undrafted and was picked up by the New York Giants in April of 2005, only to be released a few months later.

After joining the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League, Wake dominated at defensive-end compiling 39 sacks over a two-season span before getting another chance at the NFL with the Dolphins last season.

He was such an effective pass rusher last year that he was on par with NFL sack leader Elvis Dumervil (17 sacks in 09′), from an efficiency standpoint.

According to ProFootballFocus.com, a site that measures advanced statistics, Wake registered a sack for every 24.3 pass rushes while Dumervil registered a sack every 24.6 pass rushes. Wake just didn’t have as many snaps, which can be attributed to his inability to play the pass and run equally as well.

Taking the Next Step

New Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan featured Dumervil in Denver last year in his blitz packages. Wake is the ideal fit for that role and could be in for a breakout year. Double digit sack totals are not out of the question.

Taylor seems to think so.”I think maybe five years from now, maybe one year from now,” Taylor wrote, “People in Miami will quickly forget about me and talk about Cameron Wake because I think he has that kind of talent."

He is above and beyond the best pure pass rusher on this team, and for this defense to be effective, they have to put pressure on the quarterback. No pass-rush plus a young, inexperienced secondary equates to major problems.

Henne replaced Chad Pennington last year and emerged as a strong fantasy quarterback despite limited options. He threw 12 touchdowns versus 14 interceptions, but didn’t have an elite weapon outside like Marshall. By simply replacing Ted Ginn with Marshall, the Dolphins offense has improved by leaps and bounds. The continued development of secondary targets should also help Henne to have a strong season under center in Miami.

Running Back

The running game in Miami has been a fantasy nightmare for fantasy owners ever since the Dolphins drafted Ronnie Brown. Brown’s talent is undeniable, and he’s one of the most productive backs in the NFL when he’s on the field.

But that’s the problem. Brown’s rarely on the field.

So the gamble is to look at Ricky Williams, who eclipsed 1,100 Jake Long yards last year, as their top fantasy back. The Dolphins have a good offensive line, and will run the ball to keep defenses honest. But it’s hard for any fantasy owner to put #1 RB faith in any back from Miami because of Brown’s abilities and Williams’ inconsistent history. There are also a number of top rush defenses on the Dolphins schedule this year that impact the draft rankings of either Brown or Williams.

Wide Receivers

Marshall jumpes to the top of the list, but the Fins have some other strong options. Davone Bess broke out with 76 catches for 758 yards last year, and should be the biggest beneficiary of the Marshall acquisition. Greg Camarillo should see plenty of action as the third receiver as well, after catching 50 balls for 552 yards last season.

The enormous catch-22 with Miami’s receivers, however, is the reality that there will be two lost weeks this season when they play the NY Jets, one of which comes during the playoffs in most leagues. So while there could be strong production throughout the season from this talented group, owners are advised to have good depth if banking on Marshall for playoffs. The Dolphins have favorable matchups in Weeks 15 and 16, but the Jets game on 14 is a speed bump for owners.

Tight Ends

Anthony Fasano had a nice season for the Dolphins football jerseys last year with 31 catches and two touchdowns, and could be another player that benefits in the red zone because of the Marshall addition. However, owners shouldn’t look to Fasano as a top fantasy option because of the depth at receiver in Miami; Fasano should be used as an injury replacement or a bye-week/matchup TE.