NFL

Miami Dolphins Breakout Candidates in 2023 Include Devon Achane, Kader Kohou, and Malik Reed

Published

4 months ago

June 2, 2023

darragh

In 2022, the Miami Dolphins fielded one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL and got even faster this offseason. After adding another star in cornerback Jalen Ramsey to their defense, Miami looks to become Super Bowl contenders this season. To get there, it’ll take breakout performances from some of their role players.

With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa headlining an offense hoping to be more balanced in 2023 and high-end talent throughout their athletic defense, role players are in a better position to break out this year. We dive into the three Dolphins breakout candidates this season beyond players who have established themselves as foundational pieces.

Miami Dolphins Breakout Candidates in 2023

RB Devon Achane

Taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft class, Devon Achane has a wide range of outcomes for his rookie season. The Dolphins are still rumored to be interested in acquiring Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook if he’s traded or released. Bringing in Cook would immediately end the 2023 hype for Achane, but until then, the latter deserves to be nominated as a breakout candidate — even as a newcomer.

The Dolphins have said all of the right things when it comes to reprioritizing the running game in 2023. Head coach Mike McDaniel installed a stellar passing game in his first season, but his background features a history of building around a great rush attack. He apologized to the team for not running more in 2022 despite being successful when they tried.

Even with both Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. back after entering free agency this offseason, Miami added Achane. McDaniel said he was “excited” to add Achane to the unit not only because he’s fast but because his skill set fits their vision. Achane’s former head coach, Jimbo Fisher, summarized Achane’s abilities well, noting, “He’s a football player who ran track.”

MORE: Are the Miami Dolphins a Top-5 Defense Heading Into 2023?

Achane doesn’t have a direct line to playing time right away. Mostert was very good as a starter down the stretch of 2022, finishing with 4.9 yards per carry. Both he and Wilson have more size than Achane as well, so it’s possible Achane is initially used as a rotational back.

Yet, both Mostert and Wilson have struggled to stay healthy throughout their careers. Achane has already beefed up from 188 pounds to 192. If he can handle a bigger workload, it wouldn’t be surprising for Achane to take over the lead-back role at some point in 2023.

CB Kader Kohou

An undrafted free agent from Texas A&M-Commerce who fell through the cracks throughout the 2022 NFL Draft cycle, Kader Kohou had an impressive rookie season. When Nik Needham suffered a torn Achilles in Week 6, Kohou found a role as Miami’s nickel cornerback. He stepped up, finishing fifth in tackles on the team, breaking up 10 passes, and catching one interception.

With Xavien Howard and Ramsey both hoping to benefit from an improved scheme from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and a more effective pass rush, Kohou can be in a unique position. If Howard and Ramsey are able to turn back the clocks a bit and turn in high-quality seasons, then Kohou can be a roaming force on a very talented Dolphins’ defense.

MORE: Miami Dolphins — How Was Their Roster Built?

Some improvement is needed from Kohou in coverage. Last season, he allowed 59.1% of 115 targets to be completed for 698 yards and three touchdowns, which looked good compared to Miami’s other corners but aren’t great numbers. Needham was better in 2021, giving up only 7.3 yards per target and zero touchdowns.

However, Kohou will be more set up for success this coming season because his surrounding cast will be stronger. Nickel cornerbacks are reliant on scheme and those around them to be playmakers. Kohou wasn’t in the right situation to be more than a good run defender who could make an occasional play on the ball.

EDGE Malik Reed

Miami has built a solid EDGE rotation after seeing their unit struggle to log sacks despite a blitz-heavy approach in 2022. Even with expectations for Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips to lead the unit under Fangio’s expert tutelage, there will be opportunities for rotational rushers to make an impact.

Malik Reed opted to sign with Miami this offseason to rejoin with Fangio and Chubb. The last time Reed played with Chubb under Fangio in Denver, Reed recorded 15 sacks, 47 QB pressures, and 35 hurries in 45 games. Reed lauded Fangio, saying, “He helps get us in the right positions to be successful.”

MORE: Could the Dolphins Trade Tyreek Hill in 2023?

The former undrafted free agent proved to be a quality rotational player with 13 sacks between 2020 and 2021. Though Reed flamed out in Pittsburgh in 2022, he’ll only be 27 this fall and will be more comfortable with Miami with familiar faces around him.

The 6’2″, 235-pounder doesn’t need to be a star, but with the Dolphins opting to move Andrew Van Ginkel inside more, someone has to be a reliable player who can substitute in for Phillips and Chubb when they need a breath.

Source link

NFL

Baker Mayfield Player Props, Betting Lines, Odds, and Picks for Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Published

5 mins ago

September 25, 2023

darragh

After playing for three teams the previous two seasons, has Baker Mayfield found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Check out his player props as he heads into tonight’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Our Betting Lines page has the freshest lines and promos to get BANG for your buck. PFN’s FREE Parlay Calculator and Betting Odds Calculator are also available for your betting process! New to sports betting? Check out our guide on How to Bet on the NFL. Visit our Sports Betting Legal Tracker on how to bet legally in the U.S.

Baker Mayfield Week 3 Player Props

All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Passing Yards: 228.5 (Over -115/Under -115)
Pass Touchdowns: 1.5 (Over +154/Under -200)
Pass Completions: 21.5 (Over -115/Under -115)
Pass Attempts: 33.5 (Over -120/Under -110)
Interceptions: 0.5 (Over -125/Under -105)
Longest Completion: 34.5 (Over -115/Under -115)
Rushing Yards: 11.5 (Over -105/Under -125)
Pass/Rush Yards: 243.5 (Over -115/Under -115)
Anytime Touchdown Scorer: +500
First Touchdown Scorer: +2800

Mayfield Betting Trends and Stats

Mayfield is the first Tampa Bay quarterback to lead the Buccaneers to a 2-0 record with no interceptions since Shaun King in 2000.

Mayfield Best Bet

Mayfield is off to a terrific start with the Bucs, but how long can it last? In just two starts, he’s already matched his win total from last season — when he started 10 games.

The key for Mayfield has been his ability to eliminate turnovers. After having 78 giveaways over his first five seasons in the league (fourth most in the NFL over that span), Mayfield has not committed a turnover in either of the Buccaneers’ first two games this season.

MORE: Eagles vs. Buccaneers Player Prop Bets

He has been sacked just once in two games, and his completion percentage is up to 69.1%. In last week’s win over the Chicago Bears, Mayfield threw for 317 yards, his first 300-yard passing game in nearly two years (Week 5 in 2021 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers).

Will he be able to keep the good times rolling against the defending NFC champions? The Eagles’ defense has shown that it is susceptible to the pass. Philadelphia ranks 30th in pass defense, allowing 326 pass yards per game. Opponents are completing approximately two-thirds of their pass attempts against Philadelphia.

Mayfield has not won three straight starts since 2021, but win or lose, I’m expecting the former No. 1 overall pick to easily top the 228.5 total in passing yards.

Baker Mayfield’s Best Bet: Over 228.5 passing yards (-115 at DraftKings)

Listen to the PFN Betting Podcast

Listen to the PFN Betting Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Betting Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review!

Source link

NFL

What Time Is the NFL Game Tonight? Eagles vs. Buccaneers Channel, Live Stream Options for Monday Night Football in Week 3

Published

1 hour ago

September 25, 2023

darragh

Who’s ready for the second Monday Night Football doubleheader of the 2023 NFL season courtesy of ESPN? The Philadelphia Eagles head south to Raymond James Stadium to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first Monday night matchup.

As many predicted, the Eagles have gotten off to a 2-0 start. However, the Buccaneers have surprised many as they also enter Monday Night Football undefeated. Who will keep their streak alive tonight? Here’s the Monday Night Football start time, TV channel, and live stream options.

What Time Does the First Monday Night Football Game Start?

Is there another Monday Night Football doubleheader this week? For the second week in a row, ESPN airs two NFL games on Monday night, with the first kicking off at 7:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will head to Tampa Bay to handle commentating duties for tonight’s first NFL game. Here’s how to watch the Eagles and Buccaneers matchup.

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Start time
7:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ABC, ESPN+
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

While Philadelphia enters Week 3 with an unblemished record, the wins haven’t come as easy as they did in 2022. RB D’Andre Swift exploded for 175 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries after a disappointing season opener.

The Eagles get RB Kenneth Gainwell back but need some support in other areas. QB Jalen Hurts and the Eagles passing offense continue to struggle to start the season.

Hurts hasn’t crossed the 200-yard passing mark yet in 2023. However, the Tampa Bay defense could be a matchup that allows Hurts to open things up. The Buccaneers defense has allowed 4.8 yards after the catch since Week 13 of 2022, tied for the second-worst in the league.

WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should find plenty of room to run against the Buccaneers’ secondary. Smith has averaged 5.9 yards after the catch in the same span, tied for third-best.

MORE: NFL Standings

Not only is Tampa Bay allowing opposing WRs to find space after the catch, but they are also allowing a lot of touchdown receptions. Since 2022, the Buccaneers have allowed 32 receiving touchdowns, tied for the second-most in the NFL.

Brown has caught 11 during that time, tied for third-most, and Smith hauled in nine, tied for seventh. If there was a game for Philadelphia to put everything together offensively, it’s tonight.

2023 Monday Night Football Schedule

With the Eagles and Buccaneers kicking off the first of two Monday Night Football games tonight, what does the rest of the 2023 Monday Night schedule look like? With no doubleheaders for the foreseeable future, here’s the lineup for the rest of this season.

Week 4, Oct. 2

Seattle Seahawks at the New York Giants

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 5, Oct. 9

Green Bay Packers at the Las Vegas Raiders

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 6, Oct. 16

Dallas Cowboys at the Los Angeles Chargers

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 7, Oct. 23

San Francisco 49ers at the Minnesota Vikings

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 8, Oct. 30

Las Vegas Raiders at the Detroit Lions

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 9, Nov. 6

Los Angeles Chargers at the New York Jets

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 10, Nov. 13

Denver Broncos at the Buffalo Bills

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 11, Nov. 20

Philadelphia Eagles at the Kansas City Chiefs

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 12, Nov. 27

Chicago Bears at the Minnesota Vikings

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 13, Dec. 4

Cincinnati Bengals at the Jacksonville Jaguars

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 14, Dec. 11

Tennessee Titans at the Miami Dolphins

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
Youtube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Green Bay Packers at the New York Giants

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ABC
Live stream options
ESPN+, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 15, Dec. 18

Kansas City Chiefs at the New England Patriots

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Week 16, Dec. 25

Baltimore Ravens at the San Francisco 49ers

Start time
8:15 p.m. ET
Channel
ESPN
Live stream options
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV

Source link

NFL

Same Game Parlay Picks and Predictions

Published

2 hours ago

September 25, 2023

darragh

The Philadelphia Eagles have a pair of one-possession wins, but it is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the better point differential to go along with their 2-0 start. Is there an upset brewing? There are many ways to attack this game, so let’s take a look at some same game parlay picks as a way to maximize our edge!

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds

Spread
Eagles -5
Moneyline
Eagles -218, Buccaneers +180
Total
46

We here at Soppe HQ like to encourage responsible gaming, and in that vein, I’ll always offer you a trivia question off the top of these articles. Pose this question to a buddy you are watching the game with.

Answer correctly, and you pay for the SGP. Misfire and he/she is on the hook.

Trivia Question: How many players have more rushing touchdowns than Jalen Hurts since he entered the league in 2020? Bonus points if you can name at least three players on that list!

This is an interesting matchup that pits a dominant run game against a limited defense whose primary strength is stuffing the run. I’m of the belief that the Eagles, with extra time to prepare after playing on Thursday night, scheme up creative ways to attack through the air. Instead of going strength on strength with the Bucs, they trust their MVP candidate to exploit a weakness.

Did you know that WR1s have accounted for 45.8% of receiving yards against Tampa Bay this season? It’s a fact. They are struggling against the opponents’ top target, and that leads us to the question: Who is that player in Philadelphia?

AJ Brown on the Jalen Hurts sideline “incident”: “Sometimes emotions run high.. That doesn’t mean I’m beefing with Jalen. *laughs* And no, it was not about targets. I’m sure everybody thought that because he threw me the ball 3x in a row afterwards. But no, I was not over there… pic.twitter.com/BpaVAX5xBH

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) September 21, 2023

You could argue that it’s DeVonta Smith (touchdown in both games this season, including a game-breaking 63-yarder last week), but I still side with size and label Brown as the WR1.

Brown has more targets this season than Smith. Sportsbooks have Brown projected to hold the edge in both receptions and receiving yards, so I’m not alone here.

MORE: Eagles vs. Buccaneers Player Prop Bets for Monday Night Football

On the other side, I’m not 100% sure the Buccaneers want to run the ball. Rachaad White offers more upside as a pass catcher than a between-the-tackles runner, and they have a pair of proven receivers more than capable of moving the ball down the field.

Not only is that their desire, but as a 5-6 point underdog against a top-10 run defense, the odds are good that the game script pushes them toward the passing game.

Mike Evans has lit up fantasy football scoreboards through two weeks, and that’s great. But it does offer us a nice buying spot in a strong matchup for Chris Godwin. The Nittany Lion has caught at least five passes in 17 straight games, and his aDOT is less than half of that of Evans’ since the beginning of last season.

That’s a role to fall in love with against an Eagles secondary that is banged up. Philadelphia is operating a bend-don’t-break defense these days, and while I expect that to lead them to a victory, it plays right into the hands of what Godwin does.

Godwin career when getting 5+ catches

Over 50 receiving yards: 90.9%
Over 60 receiving yards: 72.7%

Godwin career when getting 6+ catches

Over 50 receiving yards: 97.5%
Over 60 receiving yards: 92.5%

Trivia Answer: Six players have more rushing scores than Jalen Hurts since he entered the league in 2020 (Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, and James Conner).

Conservative Same Game Parlay Pick: Eagles moneyline, A.J. Brown over 64.5 receiving yards, Chris Godwin 5+ catches, and Chris Godwin over 49.5 receiving yards

Odds: +425 (at DraftKings)

Aggressive Same Game Parlay Pick: Eagles alt line (-2.5), A.J. Brown over 94.5 receiving yards, and Chris Godwin over 59.5 receiving yards

Odds: +800 (at DraftKings)