Lamar Miller: The most interesting RB in fantasy football

Heading into 2016 fantasy football draft time, theScore looks at the most intriguing option from each offensive position. This edition focuses on Houston Texans RB Lamar Miller.

2015 in Review

In his fourth year with the Dolphins, Miller played all 16 games for the third straight season and averaged 4.5 yards per carry, down from the career-high mark of 5.1 he set in 2015. He did, however, manage a new high in receptions, with 47 for 397 yards. In total, Miller scored 10 touchdowns, after crossing the goal line nine times the season before.

What makes him interesting?

While his end-of-season yardage and TD totals have been perfectly adequate, there's nevertheless the feeling that his production during his time in Miami was slightly underwhelming.

The Dolphins never handed Miller any more than 216 carries in a single season - his 194 rushing attempts in 2015 ranked 18th, behind part-time players like Alfred Morris and DeAngelo Williams. Seven backs had more rushing attempts than Miller had total touches (241), and yet Miller finished sixth in total fantasy points at the position.

Miller's 12.1 rush attempts per game ranked all the way down in 34th place. For fantasy owners, Miami's usage of Miller made him one of the more frustrating players to own, as he was capable of an explosion one week and a disappearing act the next.

Perhaps it was a monstrous performance against Houston in Week 7 that opened his future employer's eyes, as Miller ran for 175 yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 61 yards, scoring TDs both on the ground and through the air.

Miller has a lot of potential, but he has never really been turned loose for a full season; playing for the run-oriented Texans could change that. Houston averaged the fifth-most rushing attempts per game (29.5) despite only gaining the 15th-most rushing yards. In large part thanks to Miller, the Dolphins ran the fewest times per game yet finished with the 23rd-most yards.

Draft Outlook

The change of scenery has improved Miller's draft outlook, as his average ADP has climbed inside the top 20. While he's being taken as the seventh or eighth running back off the board in most cases, he's a safe option when compared to some of the more injury-prone or unproven players being taken ahead of him (David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Jamaal Charles, etc.)

Miller has the number one role all to himself, and has established a solid baseline of production over the past few seasons. With a heavier workload, his output should in turn increase.