Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller has had perhaps the most inconsistent season of any highly hyped fantasy player in the league. Through no fault of his own, Miller was barely used during the first month of the season in which the Dolphins went 1-3 and head coach Joe Philbin lost his job. Following the change, interim head coach Dan Campbell fed Miller early and often with the fourth-year rusher racking up back to back 100-yard games on the ground.
Since then, Miller's numbers have been all over the place. He's failed to top 44 rushing yards in each of his last four games, but is catching passes at a much higher rate. Despite the inconsistency in his production, ESPN NFL Insider KC Joyner believes his work load and talent make him a strong buy-low candidate before your league's trade deadline.
"Miller is coming off of a five-point game against Dallas and has tough defensive matchups against the New York Jets and Baltimore in Week 12 and Week 13, respectively," Joyner wrote. "Combine that with his four straight games of fewer than 50 rushing yards, a streak that occurred after he had posted 288 total rushing yards in the two games prior to that streak, and it may make his fantasy owners willing to move him if a solid trade offer comes along.
"If that is the case, there may not be a better trade for fantasy owners looking to upgrade for Weeks 14-16. Miami faces the New York Giants, San Diego and Indianapolis in that time frame. These teams rank 23rd, 26th, and 27th, respectively in fantasy points allowed per game to opposing running backs since Week 6. Since Miller managed to score 15 and 25 points in two of the games where he posted fewer than 50 rushing yards, he should be a strong candidate for double-digit points in all of these matchups."
For the season, the Chargers have allowed an NFL-high 22.4 fantasy points to opposing RBs. The Giants (17.5) and Colts (18.0) aren't exactly fantasy deal breakers either.
Miller is averaging a decent 4.1 targets per week in the passing game. If he can continue to supplement his decent rushing numbers with a heavy dose of check downs, he should be a viable starting fantasy option moving forward. However, owners should carefully monitor the workload between him and rookie Jay Ajayi.
