Fantasy Football Dynasty Buys: Tua Tagovailoa

What happened to the Tua hype? We’re less than two years removed from the “Tank for Tua” mantra used by Dolphins’ fans during the 2019 season. Looking at fantasy football ADP today, and it seems like that hype has suddenly gone away. If you’re a smart investor however, now is the time you invest.

Rookie Woes?

Before ever taking an NFL snap, Tua Tagovailoa suffered an extremely brutal injury in college; dislocating his hip in a game against Mississippi State. This is the same injury that ruined Bo Jackson’s career – and it would end Tua’s college career. Tua would use the remainder of his time to rehab his body and prepare for the NFL draft.

Tua Tagovailoa would be selected fifth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for Tua (and everyone else), Covid-19 would destroy any resemblance of training camps. This is a crucial part in rookie development.

There was also a weird dynamic in Miami. Ryan Fitzpatrick opened the season as the starting quarterback. Throughout various points of the season, him and Tua would change roles as starters. Sometimes, Fitzpatrick would even come into games as a ‘closer’.

On top of everything else, Tua was still in the process of rehabbing his hip injury from the previous year. He’s even admitted that he wasn’t 100% last season, and his body feels exponentially better this offseason. Even before teams got ready for training camp, Tua already looked to be in much better shape than in his rookie year.

Tua Infinity, and Beyond!

This offseason, the Miami Dolphins continued to add pieces to help their young quaterback. They signed Will Fuller to a one-year deal and selected Jaylen Waddle sixth overall in this year’s draft. The Dolphins are slowly building a very efficient, yet underrated unit on offense. Albert Wilson is looking excellent after missing the 2020 season, Myles Gaskin is an excellent pass-catching RB, and DeVante Parker is one of the most underrated WRs in the NFL.

Unlike last year, Tua won’t have the same issues with the playbook (one that wasn’t even created with him in mind). The 2021 Dolphins are built around Tua, and he is now at full strength.

At the moment, Tua is the QB21 per Sleeper’s recent fantasy football ADP. Tua can be taken at the top of the 9th round in 12-team dynasty leagues (Dynasty ADP of 109 overall). This shouldn’t be a difficult decision. In the eight weeks Tua started in 2020, he finished as the QB20 – and that was without fully understanding the playbook.

Tua is a 23-year old starting quarterback. He will remain the starter in Miami for at least three more seasons. The potential upside doesn’t get much higher. With an ability to run (that he uses in a very intelligent way) and an influx of talented skill players, Tua will improve in his second season.

You should be targeting Tua in your fantasy football leagues before his inevitable breakout season. Remember, you want to buy before the breakout occurs, instead of acquiring a player at their ceiling value.