It is not unusual to see Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert absent from practice on a Wednesday. Usually, Mostert’s absence is more about rest and workload management, but this time, it appears that things might be a little more serious. Let’s take a look at the latest injury update on Mostert and what it might mean for the fantasy football value of the Dolphins backfield.
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Latest Injury Update on Raheem Mostert
Initially, when we heard that Mostert was not practicing on Wednesday, alarm bells did not ring. Mostert frequently misses Wednesday practice, but ahead of Week 8, an ankle injury has caused him to be listed as a non-participant on the Dolphins’ first injury report of the week.
At this stage, we have no idea how serious the injury is, but it very well could be that Mostert could have practiced Wednesday in some capacity but didn’t need to because of his usual schedule. That theory was reinforced with Mostert being able to return to the field for practice on Thursday.
Ahead of practice on Friday, McDaniel told the media that Mostert was “getting himself ready for Sunday, he’s very good at that. I was very happy with the way he looked yesterday. We’ll see how that plays out.”
Mostert later told reporters that he would play Sunday and the ankle injury was just a little tweak that caused him to miss practice. Mostert was ultimately listed as questionable for Week 8.
Will Mostert Play in Week 8?
It seems that Mostert is set to play despite the questionable tag. Mike McDaniel did not address Mostert’s injury in his pre-practice press conference Wednesday, but he did not address Tyreek Hill’s injury, which seemed to be reasonably concerning. However, McDaniel didn’t seem overly pessimistic on Friday when he next spoke to the media and Mostert was fairly adamant he would be active.
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In the end, Mostert saw his usual pattern of missing Wednesday practice and returning on Thursday and Friday. The only difference this time is that it was listed as an ankle injury rather than a rest situation. Assuming he does not get downgraded over the weekend, the assumption should be that Mostert will play on Sunday.
Should Fantasy Managers Target Jeff Wilson Jr. or Salvon Ahmed on Waivers?
Last week saw Jeff Wilson Jr. activated from injured reserve ahead of the Dolphins’ Week 7 game against the Eagles. However, it was Salvon Ahmed who got the bulk of the backup work. Granted, we are talking four opportunities to one, but it is still worth noting.
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The other thing to note is that Mostert dominated the backfield work with nine carries and three targets. The starting RB dominated more than 70% of the touches from RBs in Week 7.
Out of the two, Wilson has the better pedigree as a starting RB. Ahmed does not fit the profile of this Dolphins offense, and the prevailing belief for many is that he is more of a change-of-pace or gadget option for the unit. Thus, the expectation would be that if Mostert missed time, Wilson would be in line to draw the start on Sunday.
Based on what we know Friday, fantasy managers should only look to add Wilson to their roster as a back-end-of-the-bench-type option. However, if Mostert is also downgraded over the weekend, then that urgency would increase, with Wilson potentially in line to be a starting RB for one of the best offenses in football.
When the Dolphins faced the Patriots in Week 8, Mostert rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts. However, that was because the Patriots were designing their defense around the electric playmaking of Hill, who could also be missing. Even so, the potential starting RB for the Dolphins should be an option for fantasy managers to consider adding this week.