San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

Time is running out for both the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers if they are going to rescue their seasons and Sunday's NFL Week 16 clash between the teams at Hard Rock Stadium could end the playoff hopes of the losers.

Both teams went into the season with high hopes of challenging in their respective conferences, but they will meet with identical disappointing 6-8 records that few would have predicted in September.

The 49ers are the defending NFC champions after taking the Kansas City Chiefs into overtime in last season's NFL Championship game, while the Dolphins were considered contenders by many in the AFC.

As it is, San Francisco is in last place in the NFC West. That's only two wins behind leaders the Los Angeles Rams, but Kyle Shanahan's side have just three regular season games left and have lost four of their last five.

Their season reached a new low in last Thursday's 12-6 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams as quarterback Brock Purdy struggled and linebacker De'Vondre Campbell refused to enter the game after losing his starting role, leading to his suspension by the team this week.

The Dolphins had been on an improved run going into last week's game against the Houston Texans, with four wins in their previous five games.

However, they sank to a tame 20-12 loss with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throwing three interceptions in his worst game since returning to the team after a spell on injured reserve.

Playing in different conferences, the teams do not meet each other regularly but the Dolphins hold a narrow 8-7 lead in the overall series and have won four of the last six meetings, although the 49ers won 33-17 in California in their latest encounter in 2022.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins betting picks and predictions

Dolphins ML (-120)

The Dolphins suffered a disappointing defeat on Sunday, but their season doesn't seem to have fallen apart in quite such a spectacular fashion as the 49ers' has.

Playing at home should give them the edge in Sunday's clash between two desperate teams.

Miami travels particularly poorly, particularly when heading into colder climates, as demonstrated by a slow start in Green Bay in Week 13 when the home team led 24-3 at half-time.

Mike McDaniel's Dolphins are 2-5 on the road this season, but a more respectable 4-3 in home games and two of those losses came in the game when Tagovailoa was injured and one started by back-up Tyler Huntley.

The Dolphins have won three in a row at Hard Rock Stadium, with comfortable successes against the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots followed by an overtime win over the New York Jets.

The 49ers are 2-4 on the road this season and have not even been close in their last two away games, losing 38-10 to the Packers and 35-10 to the Buffalo Bills.

Jonnu Smith over 47.5 receiving yards (-110)

One success story for the Dolphins this season has been tight end Jonnu Smith, who joined the team as a free agent in the off-season after one year with the Atlanta Falcons.

He is fourth in the tight end receiving yards list this year with 740 at an average of 52.9 per game, which puts him ahead of Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

Smith has been targeted 11 times in three of his last four games and looks set for another solid outing.

De'Von Achane over 5.5 receptions (+125)

De'Von Achane made just 27 receptions in 2023, but he has become a key factor in his team's passing game this time around and could be busy against the 49ers.

Achane has been targeted 23 times in his last three appearances, catching all but two of them with at least six receptions in each game.

He has the ability to turn a short pass into a long gain and Miami can be expected to stick to that formula in Sunday's game.

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San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins odds

San Francisco 49ers	+100 ML
Miami Dolphins	-120 ML
Spread	MIA Dolphins -1
Total Points	O/U 46.0

San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins player props

Anytime Touchdown

Isaac Guerendo (SF 49ers)	-110
De'Von Achane (MIA Dolphins)	-110
Tyreek Hill (MIA Dolphins)	+130
George Kittle (SF 49ers)	+150
Deebo Samuel (SF 49ers)	+160
Jonnu Smith (MIA Dolphins)	+175

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.