Fantasy Football: Brandon Marshall Ruled Out for Miami Dolphins in Week 12

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been downgraded to “out,” according to Jay Glazer of FOXsports.com.

Marshall had been listed as “doubtful” all week, but the team has now made the decision to keep him inactive for Sunday’s game while he recovers from a hamstring injury that has held him out of practice all week.

This news elevates the values of wide receivers Davone Bess and Brian Hartline, who will both likely be relied on more in the passing game than they have been with a healthy Brandon Marshall in the lineup.

Quarterback Chad Henne will be back in the lineup this week, but with his top target out, he becomes a very low QB2 option this week against the Raiders, who should have their star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha back this week.

While Asomugha generally shuts down the receiver he is covering, the Raiders don’t always place him on the opposing team’s top receiver all game. As the receivers move around, Asomugha could be lined up on a number of different Miami receivers and may even find himself covering Roberto Wallace or Marlon Moore, who will be fighting for the Dolphins’ third receiver spot while Marshall is out.

While the “Nnamdi Factor” is something to consider, Davone Bess moves around on the field enough that he should eventually have some opportunities against some of the Raiders’ depth corners. Still, he likely will remain primarily a possession receiver for the Dolphins and has limited touchdown upside.

While Bess remains a borderline WR2 in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues, Brian Hartline may actually be elevated to being a reasonable WR3 or flex play option this week and perhaps going forward until Marshall returns. Hartline has four inches on Bess and while he isn’t the athlete that Brandon Marshall is, his height makes him the most likely candidate for a jump-ball opportunity with Marshall out.

At this point we don’t know the extent of Marshall’s injury, but the fact that he hasn’t practiced all week is a major concern going forward. A report earlier this week from Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel mentioned that Marshall could miss multiple weeks with the injury and it looks like that report may have been right.

Marshall has to be considered one of the biggest fantasy busts at wide receiver this season. Even when healthy, he has not made the impact in Miami that he did in Denver, and he will likely finish the with less than 1,000 yards receiving for the first time since his rookie season in 2006.

If he doesn’t get back on the field this season, Marshall will also finish with just one touchdown reception on the year—a far cry from the 10 he had in 2009 while with the Broncos.