Rising

1. Mike Wallace, wide receiver: Wallace finally had the deep opportunities he’s been waiting for. Wallace had two receptions of 53 and 57 yards that nearly led to an upset over Carolina. He had a season-high 127 yards on five receptions Sunday. Wallace's deep speed is hard to counter. He's been open deep several times this year, but Tannehill has been unable to get the ball there. The pair missed on two other connections, but hitting on 50 percent of their deep balls isn’t a bad percentage.

2. Olivier Vernon, defensive end: A year and a half into his NFL career, Vernon is starting to come into his own. The 2012 third-round pick registered a sack Sunday on Carolina quarterback Cam Newton. It was the second consecutive games Vernon got a sack. He is tied with Miami Pro Bowler Cameron Wake for the Dolphins lead with 6.5 sacks. Vernon had four tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss against the Panthers.

3. Nolan Carroll, cornerback: Opponents have indentified and picked on Carroll at various points this season. Starting cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Dimitri Patterson have both been more productive. But Carroll had perhaps his best game of the season, tallying three tackles, an interception and a season-high four pass defenses. Carroll's playing time has been up and down this season based on his performance, but Sunday’s game should earn him more confidence from the coaching staff.