Fantasy Upside
Scouts had their tongues hanging out watching Parker as he came out of college last season. That’s why the Dolphins spent a first round pick on him. Injuries kept him off the field for much of his rookie season, but from Week 12 to Week 17, Parker averaged 3.7-74.2-0.5. Those 14.1 FP/G in PPR would have matched Allen Hurns for WR18 last season. And get this: those 10.4 FP/G in standard scoring would have been good enough to finish ahead of Eric Decker for WR9. How’s that for fantasy upside?
Fantasy Downside
Jarvis Landry is still a part of this offense gobbling up targets, the 6th most in the NFL in 2016. Plus, Adam Gase is an offensive minded coach but has been more run heavy than most realize. Gase has been in the bottom half of the NFL in pass play percentage the past two seasons, even with Peyton Manning in Denver in 2014. The Bears went from #2 in pass play percentage in 2014 to #25 under Gase in 2016. Does that leave enough targets for Parker to be successful, and will they be quality targets with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback?
Bottom Line
There’s no denying Parker’s big play ability. He is a large and athletic talent. However, it appears he may be more valuable in standard leagues than PPR with Landry’s presence and Gase’s tendencies of late. Parker is only a low WR3 to us in PPR leagues, and somebody most should probably pass on with his 6th round ADP in 12-team leagues. Donte Moncrief and Michael Crabtree are better PPR targets at WR to us at that point in the draft. However in standard leagues, Parker bumps up a handful of spots from his PPR ranking.
Week 17 vs. New England
In his last five games, DeVante Parker has seen a lot of playing time and has really only had one bad outing. The rookie is showing Miami he was worthy of its first-round draft selection.
He'll face a modest Patriots defense this week, and could have some success. It's hard to see him having an explosive game. Rather, he should be viewed as a WR4.
Week 16 vs. Indianapolis
DeVante Parker had a down week (along with every other Dolphin) in Week 14, but he was back to making big plays in Week 15 as he finished with 87 yards on four receptions. As the season closes, Miami is finally using its first-round receiver on offense.
In a decent matchup, we expect Parker to put up WR3-type numbers this week. He'll likely be able to find some success against the Colts, although Miami's offense has been struggling lately.
Week 15 vs. San Diego
After back-to-back games with a touchdown, rookie DeVante Parker came back down to Earth and finished with 16 yards on two catches. While the production wasn't there, the good news is he played on 96 percent of the team's offensive snaps.
Parker is finally seeing the field, and should be able to do more than he did a week ago. He'll have a tough matchup against a San Diego defense that doesn't allow many points to wideouts, but he's still a low-end WR3 play.
Week 14 vs. New York Giants
First-round rookie DeVante Parker is finally seeing the field, and is taking full advantage. He has back-to-back games with a touchdown and had most of Miami's yards last week. He finished with 63 of Ryan Tannehill's 86 passing yards.
We expect Parker's strong production to continue this week in a favorable matchup. Asking for a touchdown in a third consecutive game is a bit much, but he should still be able to have good numbers. He should be viewed as a WR3 with upside.
DeVante Parker - Week 13 vs. Baltimore
After Rishard Matthews' injury, the Dolphins finally turned to first-round rookie wideout DeVante Parker in Week 12. The Louisville product went off for 80 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Part of his surge in production was Matthews' injury and another factor was Miami throwing the ball in garbage time. It's difficult to predict Parker's role this week, but he does get a favorable matchup and should see significant snaps.
Week 2 vs. Jacksonville
The Dolphins must still be moving DeVante Parker along slowly following his injury as the rookie wideout had just one offensive snap in Week 1. Until he sees more of the field, he's not worth considering.
Week 1 vs. Washington
DeVante Parker, the Dolphins first-round rookie receiver, has been dealing with an injury throughout the preseason and training camp. He's ready to go for Week 1, but he's buried a bit on the depth chart as of right now. Parker should produce later in the season, but may not be the best option for Week 1. Take a wait-and-see approach to find out how much Parker is used this week.
