Week 9 at Arizona Cardinals
Matt Breida hasn't been practicing this week with a hamstring injury and may not play. If he is active, he gets a boost due to the absence of Myles Gaskin. On the other hand, he may be limited with his snaps due to his injury. The Dolphins also have Jordan Howard and Patrick Laird who could steal touches. Breida is mostly off the fantasy radar this week.
Week 8 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Matt Breida totaled 22 scrimmage yards last week while playing on just 29% of the offensive snaps. The Dolphins mixed in Patrick Laird (11%) and Lynn Bowden (9%) in the backfield last week, complicating Breida's usage for future games. As of now, Breida doesn't offer much value in fantasy.
Week 6 vs. New York Jets
Matt Breida was slightly more involved last week with Jordan Howard inactive. Breida saw a season-high 10 touches as well as a season-high in playing time (31%). He finished with 59 scrimmage yards, but that's slightly altered from a lone reception he took for 31 yards. Breida is just on the outside of being valuable, making him a weak flex play at best. He gets a favorable matchup this week, but Myles Gaskin is the back to own in Miami.
Week 5 at San Francisco 49ers
Matt Breida saw a season-high 48 scrimmage yards last week as well as a season-high three receptions. Still, his role didn't change too much in terms of playing time. He had two receiving yards total heading into that game, and has 72 yards on the ground all season. He's not relevant for fantasy purposes.
Week 4 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Many viewed Matt Breida as a third-down receiving back for Miami this season, but that has not been the case. He's only seen a target in one out of the three games this season, and his production on the ground has been minimal. He's not worth fantasy consideration in Week 4.
Week 3 at Jaguars
Matt Breida tied Myles Gaskin for a team-high seven carries in Week 2, but saw just two targets compared to Gaskin's seven. Breida also played on fewer snaps (21%) than Gaskin (65%). Gaskin is the back to own in Miami.
Week 2 vs. Buffalo Bills
Matt Breida didn't do much in Week 1 as he ran five times, the lowest amount of any player in this backfield. He finished with 22 yards on the ground, and didn't get a single target as a receiver, where many thought he'd be able to make an impact. At this point, Breida offers very little value to fantasy owners. Myles Gaskin is the back to own in Miami.
Week 1 at New England Patriots
Matt Breida leaves a crowded 49ers backfield and joins a less-crowded Dolphins backfield. Breida is battling with Jordan Howard for touches, but their roles should be fairly defined. Howard is expected to get early work as Breida primarily comes in on passing downs. We like Howard more this week in standard formats, but Breida gets the edge in this backfield for PPR leagues. Neither is a strong play, however, in a brutal matchup against the Patriots.
Fantasy Upside
Matt Breida finished as the No. 25 fantasy back in 2018, amassing over 1,000 scrimmage yards. He was still productive in 2019, averaging 5.1 ypc, but ran into a very crowded backfield in San Francisco. He should see more usage in 2020 now that he’s on the Dolphins, a team that had Ryan Fitzpatrick as its leading rusher last year. Breida has limited competition with Jordan Howard, and while we expect Howard to get more carries, we expect Breida to still have a big role in this offense. Breida should especially be valuable as a receiver. Howard had three 250+ carry seasons in Chicago, but never caught more than 30 passes. Expect Breida to pick up that slack in Miami.
Fantasy Downside
Breida’s role is somewhat undefined on the Dolphins. While we expect him to be a pass-catching back, he’s never truly been just that in his NFL career, catching fewer than 30 receptions in each of his three seasons in the league. Breida also has some slight injury concerns as he hasn’t finished a full season in either of the past two years. Breida will also lose out on touchdowns as that role will likely fall on Howard.
2020 Bottom Line
When it comes to Miami’s running backs, Howard has the higher floor, but Breida has the higher ceiling. He’s had high production with the ball in his hands, but he’s simply never had a large enough role where we can see if he can keep it up with more touches. Breida offers more upside than Howard, but is a riskier selection due to his undefined role. He’s still an exciting player worth drafting near the 10th round. Think of Breida as an RB3 in half or full PPR leagues.
Week 17 at Seattle Seahawks
Matt Breida didn’t play a snap against the Rams last week after fumbling twice against the Falcons in the previous game. He’s too talented to remain on the bench permanently, but it wasn’t a good sign for the speedster. Breida is still very much taking a backseat to Raheem Mostert, and possibly to Tevin Coleman as well, in the season finale, making it hard to trust him even if we knew he cleared Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse. With last week in mind, he has virtually no fantasy value and he should be benched in all league formats.
