Dolphins RB Lamar Miller left Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh with a concussion.  Miller rushed 6 times for 20 yards and added 2 catches for 13 yards before departing.  Daniel Thomas will step up in his absence. 

The Dolphins have acquired OT Bryant McKinnie from the Ravens.  They'll likely send a conditional late-round pick to Baltimore.  McKinnie struggled at LT for the Ravens before they acquired Eugene Monroe after Week 5.  It's unclear if Miami will use McKinnie at LT or RT.  He probably can't be any worse than Jonathan Martin or Tyson Clabo, but he might not be much of an upgrade either.  Offensive line play will continue to be an issue for the Fins.

Any owner of Dolphins RB Lamar Miller could tell you that the team needs to run the ball more.  But it probably carries more weight when the team's #1 WR says that.  “We have to be able to run the football to win games,” Mike Wallace told the AP.  “We’re not going to win being one-dimensional, throwing the ball all day.  You have to be able to run the football."  No team has attempted fewer runs than Miami's 95.  Miller's 50 carries through 5 games ranks just 37th in the league.  We'd like to believe that Dolphins coaches had the same revelation as Wallace over the bye week, especially coming off consecutive losses.

Browns DE Ahtyba Rubin is inactive for today's meeting with the Dolphins because of a calf injury.  That won't help the Cleveland run D in our 1st look at Miami RB Lamar Miller as a starter.

Although the Dolphins continue to insist they'll deploy a RB-by-committee with Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas, it's Miller who's listed atop the depth chart.  And Miller believes he'll see a workload similar to the 1 Reggie Bush saw last year.  Bush carried 227 times and caught 35 passes, while Thomas' marks were 91 and 15.  That sounds about right for the 2013 Miller/Thomas duo.  We have Miller projected for 242 carries and 26 catches, with Thomas at 107 and 17.

As expected, the Dolphins list RB Lamar Miller atop their Week 1 depth chart.  It was cute that the team pretended for a while to consider Daniel Thomas a contender, but it would have spoken quite poorly of Miller -- and the coaches' evaluations -- if Thomas had actually won out.  We're still a bit concerned about this running game, but Miller brings intriguing upside if his blocking holds up.

If Miami’s starting RB job was on the line Saturday night, Lamar Miller should be in the backfield for the first snap of the season.  The 2^nd-year back had an impressive showing against the Bucs, racking up 35 yards on 8 carries, highlighted by a 20-yard jaunt.  Miller also caught a ball for 2 yards and showed well in pass protection.  RB Daniel Thomas, meanwhile, took his 7 totes for just 3 yards.  He’s now averaging 2.7 yards per carry this preseason, compared to Miller’s 4.2-yard mark.  Simply put, Miller is the better RB.  We’ll trust the Fins coaching staff to realize that and treat Miller as a high-upside RB2 in fantasy.

The Dolphins are serious about keeping the battle for the starting RB job open between Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas.  "Absolutely," HC Joe Philbin said when asked if the competition is still ongoing.  Miller and Thomas reportedly split 1st-team reps on Tuesday.  Miller has started each of Miami's 3 preseason games but has lost a fumble and dropped a pass.  "This job was Miller’s to lose. And he’s slowly doing just that," beat writer Armando Salguero writes.  OC Mike Sherman recently hinted at a committee attack.  "I think we have a 1 and 1A so we have two really good ones, or have a chance to be," Sherman said. "They’re both very young. They don’t have a lot of snaps in them just yet. But they both have a chance to be good running backs in this league and see how far they can go. I’d rather have two good ones than one, put it that way."  Saturday's preseason game against the Bucs figures to go a long way toward determining how Miami's backfield will operate early this season.  We still like Miller to emerge as the lead back, but it might take him longer than we thought to get there.

The Dolphins brass continues to talk up RB Daniel Thomas.  GM Jeff Ireland recently said that Thomas and Lamar Miller will share carries this season.  “I don’t think it’s just going to be Lamar’s position," Ireland said. "We’ve got a good running back in Daniel Thomas that’s certainly making some noise. They're a pretty good one/two punch."  We don't doubt that Thomas will continue to be involved in the offense.  But unless he drastically improves on the 3.5 yards per carry he's averaged over the last 2 years, it'll be tough for the Fins to justify giving him more than a handful of carries per game.  Miller remains the heavy favorite to lead this backfield in carries.  We have him projected for 251 of them.

Dolphins OC Mike Sherman says the RB battle between Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas is "pretty close" through 2 preseason games.  "I thought that Daniel Thomas did a really nice job in the game the other day," Sherman said.  "Certainly (Lamar) Miller has had his shining moments as well."  We're not even aware there was was a battle here.  Thomas has been completely ineffective through 2 NFL seasons, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.  He's mustered just 3.0 in Miami's first 2 preseason games this year.  Miller popped off 4.9 yards per carry in his 2012 rookie campaign and has averaged 6.8 this preseason.  Don't buy into Sherman's coachspeak.  Miller will be Miami's feature back.  Perhaps this story will lower his ADP.

Dolphins HC Joe Philbin praised RB Lamar Miller's pass protection on Monday.  "He can pass protect," Philbin said.  "It took him a little while to get the responsibilities down, the blitz adjustments down. At the end of the year, he was very sound in his pass protection."  Philbin also touted Miller's instincts, athleticism, speed and pass-catching ability.  But it's the pass protection that's most important at this point.  Reliability in that department will allow Miller to emerge as a true feature back for the Fins this season. With a shot at 300+ touches, he boasts top-12 fantasy upside.

Dolphins RB Lamar Miller has been working out with 49ers RB Frank Gore twice per day over the past few weeks.  Miller has been focusing on his speed, strength and footwork.  “I’ve gotten quicker doing lateral work, and I’ve become more explosive by training every day doing squats on my legs,” he said.  “[And] I’m stronger."  Gore believes Miller is faster than fellow Miami alums Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee.  And according to insider Barry Jackson, "the Dolphins believe Miller can be not merely a good starting back, but a great one."  From here, Miller certainly looks like a 2013 breakout candidate.

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill singled out RB Lamar Miller's improvement in pass protection as what's "impressed [him] most" this offseason.  "He's picking up pass protections a lot better," Tannehill added.  "Now that he's got that, he's going to be a great player."  Pass pro tends to be the final hurdle for RBs transitioning from college to the pros.  Miller struggled in that facet last year, playing only seven 3rd-down snaps all last season.  He now seems poised to take over as an every-down back for the Fins.  All the pieces are in place for a breakout season.

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill confirmed that Lamar Miller is well ahead of Daniel Thomas and Mike Gillislee in the race for the starting RB job.  "He's doing a great job this offseason ... really has a great handle on the offense and he's doing a great job protecting," Tannehill said of Miller.  The Dolphins brass is sky-high on Miller.  And we like what we saw out of him last year, when he averaged 4.9 yards per carry.  With a good shot at 250+ touches this season, Miller has RB2 potential.

According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, "there is a quiet confidence around Dolphins camp that Lamar Miller is ready to break out."  Miller flashed in limited action in his 2012 rookie campaign, averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 51 totes.  The Fins seem ready to hand over the reins.  Daniel Thomas isn't the answer.  He's had injury problems and has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry through 2 pro seasons.  And Miami only added 5th-round rookie Mike Gillislee to the backfield this offseason.  Miller will have every opportunity to capture the starting gig.  “He’s just so smooth,” QB Matt Moore said. “He’s different from Reggie Bush but can get similar results. His nature is go north and south."  Expect to see Miller ranked aggressively high when we unveil our 2013 projections in a few weeks.

According to insider Omar Kelly, the Dolphins are concerned about RB Daniel Thomas' "ability to be the big, physical goal line runner."  Thomas goes 6'1, 228 pounds but has just 4 rushing TDs in his first 2 NFL seasons.  The offshoot here is that RB Lamar Miller could get a crack at goal line duties.  Although he's considered more of a speed back, Miller is well-built at 5'11 and 212 pounds.  He scored 9 times in his final season at the University of Miami.  A bigger red zone role would only add to Miller's intriguing 2013 fantasy outlook.  The Dolphins could also add another RB in this month's draft, though.

Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland singled out RB Lamar Miller as the player he's expecting to see the most improvement from in 2013.  “Lamar really showed some great signs of really some explosive play opportunity,” Ireland said. “He kind of shoots out of the cannon when he hits the hole. He’s got very good hands. I thought he did a very good job in his pass protection, which keeps him on the field all three downs.”  That pass pro facet is really important.  It's a sign that Miami feels comfortable rolling with Miller as its lead back going forward.  He displayed plenty of ability as a runner, popping off 4.9 yards per carry in limited rookie-year action.  Miller is quickly becoming one of our favorite sleepers in 2013 fantasy drafts.

NFL insider Jason La Canfora hears that free-agent RB Reggie Bush is "highly unlikely" to return to the Dolphins.  Bush's 2 best NFL seasons have come in Miami the past 2 years.  He's expressed interest in re-signing, but the team is evidently looking to spend its cash elsewhere.  They could move forward with youngsters Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas as their top-2 backs.  Bush, meanwhile, could be a valuable half of a committee elsewhere.  He's learned to run effectively between the tackles, averaging 4.7 yards per carry over the past 2 seasons.

Dolphins RB Reggie Bush (knee) is active for today's game against the Cardinals.  He must have looked fine in pregame warmups.  Bush may still be on a touch count, and he also has a tough matchup.  Consider him a low-end RB2.  RBs Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller are just desperation options.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Dolphins RB Reggie Bush (knee) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's tilt with the Cardinals.  The Fins are reportedly are "hoping" Bush will play but are "still uncertain."  We heard Bush looked good in practice on Friday, so we're expecting him to play.  But with the late kickoff time, owners planning to start Bush need to have a viable emergency option on hand.