PLAYER NOTES
–S T.J. McDonald was limited in practice this week due to ankle and knee issues. He has started all seven Dolphins games this season and has 37 tackles and two interceptions.
–DE Charles Harris has been ruled out this week due to a calf injury. Harris, Miami’s first-round pick last season, has been a bust so far. He had 19 tackles, five stops for losses and two sacks in 16 games last season. This season, he has 11 tackles, one stop for loss and no sacks in five games, including one start. This will be the third straight game he misses due to injury.
–TE Mike Gesicki was limited in practice this week due to a shoulder injury. He has played all seven games for Miami this season, including two starts, and has been targeted 17 times, coming up with 12 catches for 132 yards, an 11.0 average and no scores. A second-round pick this year out of Penn State, Gesicki was expected to be a major factor for Miami, especially in the red zone, where he can use his 6-6 height and his ample athletic ability. So far, that has not materialized.
–TE A.J. Derby is likely out this week due to a foot injury. Derby, who was the New England Patriots’ sixth-round pick in 2015, has two catches this season, including one for a touchdown, in three games.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR/RS Jakeem Grant is listed at 5-7, 169 pounds, but even at that smallish size he is big man on Dolphins campus right now. Grant already has run a kickoff back 102 yards for a touchdown. He took a punt and ran that one 71 yards for a score. As a receiver, he has been targeted 23 times and has 16 catches for 216 yards, a 13.5 average and two touchdowns. With standout receivers Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills out this week due to injuries, the Dolphins figure to rely even more on Grant’s speed and playmaking ability.
GAME PLAN: First and foremost, Miami needs to stop former Dolphins running back Lamar Miller, who is coming off his first 100-yard game of the season. If the Dolphins can stop Miller cold, perhaps they can force quarterback Deshaun Watson into mistakes. Watson has fumbled seven times in seven games, and he been intercepted seven times as well. When the Dolphins are on offense, running backs Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake will need to have success if Miami is to slow down some dangerous Texans pass-rushers. Miami’s receivers, as a unit, are banged up, putting the pressure squarely on the running game.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso vs. Texans RB Lamar Miller. Alonso has 66 tackles this season, which ranks third in the NFL. Miller, a former Dolphins standout, ranks 16th in the NFL with 61.8 yards per game. But he is averaging just 3.9 yards per rush. Last season, his second in Houston, he averaged a career-low 3.7. With the Dolphins, he had his top three seasons in terms of average per rush: 4.5, 4.9 and 5.1.
–Dolphins QB Brock Osweiler vs. Texans DEs J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. Watt has seven sacks this season, which ranks fourth in the NFL, one behind the leader. Watt also leads the Texans with 12 quarterback hits. Clowney leads Houston with nine tackles for losses and ranks second with 4.5 sacks and 10 QB hits. Watt and Clowney will try to harass Osweiler, who must do a better job of getting rid of the ball quickly and accurately. Last week, Osweiler took four sacks.
