Fantasy Becomes Reality on Sunday…and the Other Way Around - All Eyes on Tua Tagovailoa

By: Jason Sarney

Sunday November 1st, and this it quite literal, may be the first time this century that worlds collide for Dolphin fans and that of the rest of the nation. There is a fantasy relevant and potential season savior playing football in South Florida at the quarterback position and his name is not Rya… I can’t.

However, what I can do, is rattle off a list of 21 QBs since Dan Marino to start a game for this franchise but mercifully, I won’t. Once Tua starts he will make it an All-22 of potential torchbearers, ready to ignite a new flame of Miami Greatness at the position.

Not many have a pair of Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks as the Dolphins do in Dan Marino of the famed 1983 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh and Bob Griese of the 1972 Perfect Season by way of Purdue. Sunday is not the day we all will find out if a third Miami quarterback is destined to be enshrined in Canton.

What we may have a glimpse of, however, is if it is a realistic thought to rely on Tua Tagovailoa within the nation of fantasy football obsessed non-Fin-Fans.

For once - we are all rooting for Miami quarterback success this week…or at least most of us, minus Rams fans and those other AFC East foes and fans.

So by my math, and I was a communication major, so take that for what it’s worth; approximately 83%* of football fans out there should have a rooting interest in #1 in your programs and number one in your hearts.

(*Not a factual percentage)

Whether you are a die-hard Fin fan, newbie, a Roll-Tider, or someone who went the Tua slant-route in their dynasty or best ball leagues, the time is here.

Tua Time is ready to take over, so pound your Muscle Milk and re-tweet that 5G Verizon commercial with teammate Christian Wilkins and dance to the sweet tunes of a ukulele.

Sit back and let’s get ready for the NFL’s first lefty QB since 2015 (Kellen Moore) to dazzle the nation with pristine slants, timely deep daggers, and tight spirals that conjure the sweet sounds of the Hawaiian air, where Tua perfected his craft as a youngster.

With weapons around him like DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Mike Gesicki and a running game that has role-playing talent in Matt Breida and Myles Gaskin, Tua can be the straw that stirs the drink in Miami, and he could make a delightful South Beach cocktail of conversions and celebrations…at the Rock.

While he could stir the crowd into a frenzy, the hope is the rookie will not appear shaken in his first NFL start, which is not against the easiest of opponents in Aaron Donald or  the Rams rushing him, while cover-corner extraordinaire, Jalen Ramsey blankets a target of his each snap.

It is a tough initial test for Tua, who has battled a hip injury with the rehab attached to it over the last several months to fight and earn his way back to being the prospect we all saw when he first debuted in a National Championship game and shocked the world in January of 2018.

For the fantasy and Fin fans alike, Tua Time is television viewing time this Sunday. The delight of millions playing in fantasy games of all shapes and sizes have a new stock to trade, analyze and scrutinize with every snap, drop-back, throw, and all that may come after.

If Sunday comes and goes and there isn’t an outburst of fantasy production, that is not a set-in-stone marker of his potential statistical prowess. Inversely, if he lights it up, that would set an unfair bar to expect it consistently, especially on a team whose philosophy is crystal clear as “team first” and “no individual is greater than the sum of its parts.”

If the Fins go a route of clock-kill in 4th quarters, lord-willing, then those yardage hungry fantasy owners may be disappointed in some games. Yet, back to those faithful Fin fans, at least the one penning this article…

At this point in our reality, the only stat that will get us to our fantasy…are “W’s.”

You can follow Jason on Twitter @OrangeAquaman  and the PhinManiacs PodCast