The Miami Dolphins have big plans for first-round draft pick DeVante Parker; they just might take a bit of time to unfold. The Dolphins drafted the wide receiver after they got rid of almost all of their 2014 rotation including Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline. Parker was expected to run tandem with Jarvis Landry until foot surgery knocked him off the field. Parker will be a star for Miami, but fantasy owners should be cautious in investing in him early on.
Parker made his return to the practice field this week following foot surgery during OTAs. The first-round draft pick is being brought back into the mix slowly as the Dolphins do not want to give him too much too soon. According to the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley, there is optimism that Parker is ready for the season opener, but his impact at the time is unknown. Head coach Joe Philbin noted that Parker simply needs to get reps and start gaining chemistry with Ryan Tannehill before he can be out on the field for a great deal of time.
"We've got to get him some reps," Philbin said, via the Herald. "Get him used to dipping in and out of the huddle, get the right split, get the right alignment, do the right adjustment versus press and cloud or off [coverage]. Understand where he fits in in the progression. All of those things that reps will provide. We'll try to ramp that up as soon as we can."
The sleeper pick for the Dolphins could be Kenny Stills who is proving to be a real asset to the Dolphins. The team traded for the former New Orleans Saints wide receiver to help re-fill their depleted receiver corps and so far he and Tannehill are showing off great chemistry. The same can be said for Greg Jennings who is proving his career is not over yet. Those two receivers have been getting most of the work with Tannehill alongside Landry and could see much more playing time on the field to start the year than Parker will.
One player struggling to make an impact is tight end Jordan Cameron who vowed to return to Pro Bowl form this season. Most have predicted the tight end to be a fantasy star this season, but he has failed to get overly involved in the offense as Tannehill favors the receivers more than Cameron. The rise of the run game is also hurting the tight end. Lamar Miller is looking like the real deal for the Dolphins as he returns as the leading rusher for the team.
