Trusting Myles Gaskin for fantasy football is an interesting proposition. Currently sitting at RB19 on the season in half-PPR scoring, Gaskin has been a polarizing running back through the first nine weeks. There’s much more to a player than his point total, however. In advance of Thursday Night Football’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, let’s dive in on the Dolphins running back and try to determine if he should be started in Week 10.
Update 11/11/21: ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Jacoby Brissett will get his second straight start as Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa continues to recover from a fracture in the middle finger of his left hand. Tagovailoa will serve as the backup QB.
Myles Gaskin has been inconsistent
Gaskin has had silly up-and-down usage throughout the season. While he has four games with only 5 carries or fewer, the Dolphins RB also has four contests with more than 12. He’s posted under 9 fantasy points in five games and 12+ points in four. And no, the points don’t correlate to carry totals. His highest point total on the season (26.9) came in a game where he had 5 carries.
In Week 9, Gaskin finally saw a heavy workload, getting 20 carries. He turned that into 34 yards against a Houston Texans defense that’s allowing the second-most rushing yards per game at 136.9. Fortunately for fantasy managers, he was able to fall into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown of the year, which salvaged his day. It doesn’t make any sense.
No competition in the backfield
One thing that Gaskin has going for him is a lack of competition for touches out of Miami’s backfield. Gaskin has 86 rushing attempts on the season (which is very low for a lead back, but I digress), while No. 2 back Salvon Ahmed has only 39 carries in nine games. Gaskin is also third on the team in targets with 46.
Last week, when Gaskin had 20 carries, Ahmed only had 4. Gaskin is clearly the lead back, for what it’s worth. Unfortunately, he’s the lead back on a team that runs the ball the second-fewest times per game of any team in the league, ahead of only the New York Jets. This is why the size of the slice of pie matters, but the size of the pie itself matters too.
Week 10 fantasy outlook for Myles Gaskin
Gaskin’s 20 rushing attempts in Week 9 came in a game without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the field, which makes sense. To try and minimize the impact of Jacoby Brissett, the Dolphins attempted to feature the running game.
Given the fractured middle finger of his throwing hand, Tagovailoa is trending towards being another game-time decision, meaning Brissett might get another start under center. With how inefficient Gaskin was in last week’s game, though, I wonder if the coaching staff will attempt to force 20+ touches to him again.
Gaskin’s unstable and volatile production makes him a fantasy asset that I want no part of. Even against a Baltimore defense that is allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game (20.4) to opposing running backs, it’s nearly impossible to feel confident in predicting what Gaskin will do.
Personally, I would rather start a more stable option. But if you don’t have any other choices, then buckle up for the roller coaster ride that is Gaskin.