Josh Rosen Fantasy: Is Dolphins QB Worth Picking Up?

Getty Josh Rosen has been named the Dolphins starter.

There’s a new starting quarterback in South Beach. The Miami Dolphins announced on Thursday that it would be the former first-round pick Josh Rosen taking over the role of starting quarterback.

Rosen came in to relieve original starter Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday against New England and looked good despite a lopsided score. He was constantly pressured, even hit a couple times by the Patriots’ defense. But overall Rosen looked promising and delivered some terrific passes.

He finished the game 7 for 18 with 97 yards and an interception that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. That doesn’t account for the four drops his receivers had while Rosen was at quarterback. Rosen was even the leading passer for the Dolphins despite playing in only half of the fourth quarter.

Given Rosen’s success in a cameo role, how would he fare in a full game with the Dolphins offense and would he be worth claiming off waivers?

Rosen Has Never Been Set Up For Success

When Rosen was drafted by the Cardinals, there were a lot of expectations for his first season in the league. But what the critics and even his own team forgot was that Rosen needed a strong offensive line in front of him to succeed.

The Cardinals offensive line was so thin by the end of the regular season there was only one healthy tackle on the roster. In 14 games last season, Rosen was sacked 45 times, meaning he was sacked 10 percent of the time he dropped back to pass.

As for his receivers, Larry Fitzgerald is a future Hall-of-Famer and would make any quarterback look good. He had 69 catches for 734 yards last season to lead the Cardinals. Running back David Johnson also had 50 catches.

Aside from those two, his top targets consisted of Christian Kirk and Ricky Seals-Jones who averaged lower than four catches a game. Seals-Jones caught fewer than half of the passes thrown to him as well.

Even this season, when Rosen has seen game action he hasn’t been helped by his receivers dropping passes. The Dolphins receivers even won on routes against the Patriots but drops doomed what would have been long gains.

Can He Turn Things Around For the Dolphins?

Good news for Rosen and for his fantasy suitors, Miami won’t face the Patriots until Week 17. Also good news, the Dolphins play the NFC East which features three of the league’s worst passing defenses.

Even the Cowboys, who the Dolphins play next, allow 263 passing yards per game. In addition, the Dolphins take on five of the league’s ten-worst passing defenses for the season — Redskins in Week 5, Steelers in Week 7, Jets in Week 8 and 14, Eagles in Week 13, and Giants in Week 15.

Rosen is a pass-heavy quarterback and in an offense where he has a capable running back to add variety into the Dolphins passing game, Rosen can succeed.

Given the slate of opponents coming up for the Dolphins in the coming weeks, Rosen might be able to reverse Miami’s fortunes after all. As for his fantasy value, he could help fill some voids during bye weeks and may even prove to be a better matchup against the league’s lowest-rated secondary. And with so many quarterbacks going down, it might be time to make a move for him on your bench.