Lewis for Week 1 At long last Miami Dolphins football is here A.J. Derby Jersey , and the team opens the 2018 season at home against the Tennessee Titans. Miami has won two of the last three matchups since 2015, including a 16-10 win last year.The Titans include a bunch of new faces such as Harold Landry, Rashaan Evans, Malcolm Butler, offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, head coach Mike Vrabel, and running back Dion Lewis.Last season, Lewis rushed for 890 yards and six touchdowns while also putting 214 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. He took over as the starting back for the Patriots in the second half of the season, and non coincidentally that’s when he looked his best. Incredibly, as a runner Dion Lewis finished first in Football Outsiders’ Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement with 273 DYAR, and was also first in Pro Football Focus’ elusive rating thanks to 49 missed tackles and 3.17 yards after contact. For both stats, his means he was higher than guys like Todd Gurley Josh Sitton Jersey , Le’Veon Bell, Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a better player than anyone of those guys, but what it highlights is how high quality of a player he is.Dolphins fans should know. After all, Lewis shredded the Dolphins defense in week 12 last year for 112 rushing yards on 15 carries. Miami was able to better defend him in week 14—where he only had 17 yards on five carries, but he still added 50 receiving yards on five catches.While Corey Davis, Delanie Walker and Derrick Henry will likely have big roles on Sunday—as well they should—a close eye needs to be kept on Dion Lewis. gamepass.nfl.comDion Lewis is more than just a third down back, and it can be argued he’s a better player than Derrick Henry. While Lewis has had his issues with staying healthy, when he is on the field he’s a phenomenal, highly efficient talent.Of course, this clip is from the aforementioned week 12 matchup at New England. You can say Lewis is hard to tackle because he’s slippery, but it’s also because he runs at a great pad level. His ability to wear defenses down combined with his quickness and speed make him a dangerous player in addition to one that’s fun to watch.gamepass.nfl.comAs you may have guessed, Lewis’ quickness is also lethal in the passing game. His performance against the Raiders was a turning point in the Patriots’ backfield last year Daniel Kilgore Jersey , as he solidified his spot as the team’s starting back. Here, Lewis is running a simple route in the flat against zone coverage. He accelerates forward past the line of scrimmage before out-breaking on his route. Tom Brady throws to him and Lewis puts himself in a perfect position to get the first down and yards after the catch. As soon as he cradles the ball in his hands, he plants on his left foot, pushes backward, and drags his right foot away from the defensive back. From there, Lewis accelerates forward then cuts inside, diving head first for a phenomenal touchdown. Lewis definitely gets credit for his quickness and agility, but what’s so understated about him is how powerful he is for someone of his size (5 ft. 8, 195 lb.).gamepass.nfl.comAs soon as Lewis gets the ball on this play, he uses his quick vision to cut through a hole up the middle in a flash. He’s able to slip by a tackle—again running at a fine pad level—and then cutting the corner, where he then applies a vicious stiff arm on the safety Jordan Poyer. Obviously Lewis’ ability to quickly exploit gaps is noteworthy, but for someone of his size Albert Wilson Jersey , the power he’s able to showcase on some of his runs is extremely impressive.Dion Lewis will be a big test for the Dolphins’ linebackers in the pass game. Lewis must be contained in the underneath game because that puts more pressure for Marcus Mariota to connect with the receiving corps, which—aside from Delanie Walker—have not had a lot of experience and remain unknown and unproven at this point. Matt LaFleur was part of a highly creative coaching staff in Atlanta and Los Angeles that prioritized heavily on his receiving backs, so you can bet he’ll do the same for Lewis.As a runner, Lewis is also really good, so the front is, of course, also put to the test. If Lewis can be defended as well as he was in week 14 last year, that puts more pressure on the skill players elsewhere to contribute. Expect option plays and creative route combinations to be part of LaFleur’s attack, though, so it might be easier said than done. Either way, containing the talented Dion Lewis will put Miami one step closer to attempting to secure a home victory to start 1-0 on the year.2018 NFL Power Rankings: Tiers are forming Week 4 of the 2018 NFL season is complete, which means it is time to take a look at our Week 5 20218 NFL Power Rankings. As we reach the quarter mark of the season Robert Quinn Jersey , we are starting to see teams settle into the rankings, as well as teams hitting their bye weeks already. That does not mean we are not seeing plenty of movement within the rankings, but it feels more like that movement is in tiers of teams, rather than a team jumping up or dropping substantially. Time to see what happened in Week 4 and where teams rank heading into Week 5. At the topThe Los Angeles Rams hold on to the top spot, while the Kansas City Chiefs move into the second position and the Jacksonville Jaguars move up to third. All six of the top teams this week won their games, with each, other than the Rams, moving up one spot as the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots hold the remaining slots. The Philadelphia Eagles dropped five positions to number seven, while the Carolina Panthers actually move up two positions despite being on a bye week. The Minnesota Vikings move down one spot to ninth after losing to the Rams, and the Los Angeles Chargers are up to positions to break into the top ten.Miami DolphinsMiami loses three positions this week after laying an egg on Sunday against the Patriots. It could be more of a drop Vincent Taylor Jersey , but the Patriots rank as high as they do, despite the slow three-game start to the season, because they are always capable of a win like that - especially when it is against Miami. This week against the Cincinnati Bengals will determine if Miami should be in the top 12, or if they should fall a lot more.Biggest ClimbThe Oakland Raiders jump up five spots from 31st to 26th after their win over the Cleveland Browns. This puts them just a couple of spots behind the Browns in the rankings, which feels a little odd, but Cleveland has looked like a better team this year, so it should be okay in the long run.Biggest DropThe Eagles had the biggest drop, losing five as they went from two to seven this week. This is not so much as a sign of their play as it is a sign of everyone else around them winning. The Eagles should be among the elite teams in the league all year.At the bottomLike at the top where the six teams to start the rankings won, the bottom six teams in this week’s rankings all lost. The Arizona Cardinals are 0-4 on the season and in the cellar. The New York Jets are 31st, while the New York Giants are 30th - not a great time to be a fan of a team calling MetLife Stadium home. The Detroit Lions are 29th, while the Buffalo Bills fall three places to 28th and the Indianapolis Colts fall one spot to 27th. Indianapolis feels like the team - if they can put it all together - that has a chance to jump out of the bottom tier and make a run into the heart of the rankings.2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 7RankTeamLWResultsChangeRankTeamLWResultsChange