Breaking down new Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa's fantasy value in 2020

It's Tua Time!

Heading into the Miami Dolphins’ bye week, Ryan Fitzpatrick was the eighth-best quarterback in fantasy football in 2020. He had led the Fins to three wins in real football.

Yet the Dolphins decided it was time to hand the reins to rookie Tua Tagovailoa after making his NFL debut against the New York Jets. The fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft will make his first start against Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams.

So how should fantasy football owners approach this situation? Besides, you know, by dropping Ryan Fitzpatrick?

I’ll start with the take: if you’re desperate for a QB (or you were starting Fitzpatrick and the pickings are slim on the waiver wire), he’s definitely worth a speculative pickup. Obviously, in 2QB leagues and superflexes, you should grab him.

The Dolphins have a middle-of-the-road defense, which means against tougher opponents, he might be asked to lead the team back through the air. It also helps that Myles Gaskin has proven he can be a dependable runner, giving the offense some balance.

And he’s surrounded by some solid weapons in DeVante Parker (364 yards), Preston Williams (three touchdowns) and Mike Gesicki (a pair of scores). I think Gesicki’s value goes slightly up given what we know about rookie QBs leaning on tight ends more.

Having Fitzpatrick as a mentor can’t hurt, either!

I know he had no preseason (ask Justin Herbert how that’s going), and that we haven’t seen him play football since his hip injury with Alabama. But what we do know is Fitzpatrick thrived, and if Tagovailoa — read his scouting report from our Steven Ruiz — keeps the turnovers to a minimum, there’s a chance he can replicate some of that.

Plus, I see some good games on the schedule: he might be playing catch-up against the Cardinals, Bengals, Chiefs and Raiders.

So do I think he’ll be a superstar right off the bat? No. But given what the Harvard grad did, it’s worth finding out if Tua can repeat that.