The Miami Dolphins will enter Year 3 of the Mike McDaniel era this season. The head coach has plenty of memorable quotes and media moments to keep us entertained but is still searching for his first playoff win in Miami. The offense led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has flashed early on in the past two seasons but seems to come up short down the stretch when it matters most. Perhaps, McDaniel will need to rely more on the run game going forward. I will be discussing the fantasy football value of a major piece of their backfield: De’Von Achane.
De’Von Achane 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
A New Back in Town
There was certainly some hype within the dynasty community around the former Aggie running back coming into his rookie season, but Achane was an afterthought in season-long 2023 drafts. You were often able to snag him off waivers at the beginning of the season. His stock fell even further when he suffered an injury during his first preseason game. Many expected him to become buried on the Dolphins depth chart.
During a Week 3 Miami blowout of the Denver Broncos, Achane officially arrived on the fantasy scene. The Dolphins absolutely throttled Denver, with the final score being 70-20 (that’s not a typo). They rushed for 350 yards as a team, and Achane accounted for 203 of them himself. He also added four receptions for 30 yards and scored four times, bringing his weekly fantasy score to over 50 points. He went on to produce two more consecutive Top 5 fantasy finishes while averaging over 11 yards per carry during that stretch of three games.
I still get chills when I see this. Devon Achane’s insane acceleration and top speed make him dangerous. His elusiveness and balance are on par with the best RBs in the league. Let that man run! #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/wwN4W3xK08
— Nin9tyNin9 (@casados_aaron) April 13, 2024
Achane was quickly ascending into an elite fantasy option before banging up his knee in Week 5, which sent him to the IR for four weeks. He returned briefly in Week 11 but re-injured his knee after a single carry. From that point, he avoided the IR but dealt with knee and rib injuries, which limited his workload. Raheem Mostert was excellent as the lead Dolphins runner, while Achane was held back, so we now have the challenge of trying to sort out this backfield for the 2024 season.
Rookie Season Review
Now, we’ll look deeper into Achane’s short but impressive rookie campaign. His end-of-year total was 997 total yards gained with 11 touchdowns. That’s a solid season for any rookie, but when you consider the fact that Achance produced those numbers in less than 12 games played, it puts his league-winning potential into perspective.
His efficiency metrics were unreal. According to Player Profiler, Achane led the league in yards per touch and had the fourth most yards created per touch (yards gained after first evaded tackle). Among all running backs with over 100 rushes, his 7.7 yards per carry was the best mark by far (Christian McCaffrey was #2 with 5.4 ypc).
| Metric | Achane | Rank (NFL RBs) |
| Yards Per Touch | 7.7 | 1st |
| Juke Rate | 27.70% | 3rd |
| Breakaway Run Rate | 12.60% | 1st |
| Attempts Per Broken Tackle | 7.9 | 4th |
Injury Woes and 2024 Depth Chart
While these numbers have many fantasy managers champing at the bit to draft Achane, there are some reasons to be hesitant. First off is the boom/bust nature of his fantasy output. I’ve already mentioned his top performance in Week 3, but Achane’s next two best games also came in blowout game scripts where he accumulated much of his stats during garbage time. That type of production is usually not sustainable long term. Outside of those three games, Achane only had two other Top 12 RB finishes.
Another red flag with Achane is his injury history. Listed at 188 pounds as a rookie, he is fairly undersized for a lead back. He hurt his shoulder in his very first preseason game and quickly reinjured his sprained knee in his mid-season return from IR. At the end of the season, toe and rib soreness kept him listed on the last several injury reports. I’m not in the business of predicting future injuries, but these signs make it hard to believe that Miami will ever fully trust Achane with a full workload, especially when there are other capable running backs on the team, which leads me to my next point.
The depth chart in Miami might be frustrating to navigate for fantasy this upcoming season. Alongside Achane, veteran Raheem Mostert is coming off a career-best season and shows no signs of slowing down at age 32. The team extended his contract another two years this off-season, so his role will likely remain consistent. The team also traded their 2025 3rd-round rookie pick to acquire the 120th overall pick and select running back Jaylen Wright out of Tennessee. While I don’t expect Wright to carve out a major role anytime soon, he’s another blazing-fast playmaker who has the opportunity to turn this backfield into a dreaded three-man rotation.
#Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel on his RB room:
“The whole group, pretty much led by Raheem [Mostert], it is of quality and depth as good as I’ve been around… I’ve literally spent zero time trying to forecast that room, because I recognize supreme competition when I see it. The… pic.twitter.com/pSYMzpDO2z
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) June 5, 2024
Should you draft Achane?
De’Von Achane proved that he’s efficient enough to produce quality fantasy weeks without being a three-down, workhorse running back. The combination of his speed and elusiveness in a Mike McDaniel offense will no doubt bring forth more monster performances this season. But with an average draft position of RB7 (source: Fantasy Pros), he’ll have to be the clear lead back to payoff as a worthy draft selection. I’m not quite ready to make that leap yet and take him over running backs with high expected volume like Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Travis Etienne, and Derrick Henry.
Achane is already established as one of the most electric players in the NFL. His ADP doesn’t account for the risk associated with him, though. In the first two rounds of drafts, I prefer players with both a high ceiling AND floor. Even if Achane can stay healthy, I would bet on Mostert taking the bulk of backfield touches. The Dolphins like to lean on their wide receivers in the passing game, so it will be difficult for Achane to bring much fantasy value as a pass catcher. Unless his draft position slips into the RB2 range, Achane is likely a “best ball only” draft pick for me in 2024.
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A Look Inside the Miami Dolphins
Editor’s Note: While Drew focused on De’Von Achane in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Dolphins from Ryan Weisse.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards and finished as the QB10 in fantasy last season. Despite those numbers, his ADP is all the way down at QB15 right now. With weapons like Achane, Mostert, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal, Tagovailoa could be a steal at that price. If nothing else, he is the poster child for waiting on QB in your fantasy draft.
Raheem Mostert
The backfield got a bit more crowded with the addition of Jaylen Wright. Couple that with the expected growth of Achane, and you should see a reduced role for the 32-year-old Mostert. However, he scored 21 TDs last year and finished as the RB4 overall. Even in a reduced role, he could be a value in fantasy drafts.
Jaylen Wright
Wright was one of my favorite backs in the draft. He has a nice size/speed profile and fits into McDaniels’ offense perfectly. It could be a rocky rookie year, competing with Achane and Mostert for touches, but his value could skyrocket with an injury to the starters. At the very least, remember his name in 2025.
Tyreek Hill
He’s a top-2 WR in fantasy football and will cost you a top-5 pick in your draft. Nothing I write here changes that. You either have the capital, or you don’t.
Jaylen Waddle
After 2022, it looked like we might be dealing with a 1a/b situation with Waddle and Hill. They both finished top-10 in fantasy and Waddle finished with over 18 yards per catch. Last season, his YPC dropped to 14, and Waddle only scored four TDs. Only playing in 14 games, his fantasy ranking dropped to WR34. His true value is probably somewhere in the middle of what we’ve seen over the last two years. He’s a WR2 on his own team and in fantasy, and his upside is limited by the fact that Tyreek Hill is always open.
Jonnu Smith
Smith is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. For years, we waited for the breakout in Tennessee. When it finally happened, he chased the bag to New England but ended up second-fiddle to Hunter Henry. After two seasons of nothing, he fell into a backup role in Atlanta. There, he basically put the same numbers as Kyle Pitts on 20 fewer targets. WHAT? As the starter in Miami, there is some hope for another breakout, but don’t hold your breath. They targeted their TEs just 52 times last year and only 75 times in 2022. Mike Gesicki did score five TDs that season, but he finished as the TE22 in fantasy. Smith has some weekly streaming and Best Ball appeal but can be left on waivers in most leagues.
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