A 5’9” running back weighing 188 pounds is usually viewed as nothing more than a player whose contributions are more impactful on special teams. If you found out they ran a 4.32 40, you’d think they MIGHT offer an offense some juice as a rotational third RB. When you realize his player comp is that of a former 2,000-yard rusher in the NFL (Chris Johnson), maybe you start to believe they can play a featured role for an NFL offense.
Yes, at one point, I pondered all of this when De’Von Achane first came into the league. Through two seasons, he’s proven he can play in the league and be more than a viable option for fantasy football managers. He has scored 23 total TDs in 28 career games. That’s 0.82 TDs per game, tied for 8th among RBs since the start of 2023. He also ranks 13th among RBs in total yards per game (90.3).
And yet, there are still so many in the industry who say, “he’s too small and will get hurt.” All I know is that when Tua Tagovailoa played in 2024, De’Von Achane was THE RB1 in fantasy football, scoring 22.6 fantasy points per game.
Currently going as the RB7 in fantasy football drafts, allow me to make the case for Achane being a VALUE heading into 2025, and why he can finish as a top-3 running back in fantasy football.
De’Von Achane 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
Mike McDaniel’s Roots
Head coach Mike McDaniel is a former run-game coordinator. In four of his five seasons with San Francisco, the 49ers were top 15 in the NFL in rushing yards. Three of those seasons, the 49ers were ranked in the top 7 in rushing touchdowns.
When McDaniel took over as head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2022, they ironically became more pass-happy after the acquisition of Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins have ranked in the top 20 in rushing yards in the league only once over the last three seasons. Twice, though, they’ve been in the top 5 in passing yards.
Two years ago, in De’Von Achane’s rookie season, the Dolphins ranked 6th in rushing yards and 1st in rushing TDs. That season, Achane averaged 7.8 yards per carry on 103 attempts and added 8 TDs. He operated as the change-of-pace option to lead back Raheem Mostert, who tied for the league lead with 18 rushing TDs.
In 2024, the rushing offense fell flat. Pundits across the league labeled Miami “soft” and too much of a finesse team. The receivers were pushed around, and the offensive line couldn’t block anyone. To combat this, McDaniel leaned more on the quick passing game. 47.72% of the team’s pass attempts went to RBs and TEs. And Tagovailoa had the quickest release time of any QB, getting rid of the ball in 2.3 seconds.
Heading into the 2025 season, the Dolphins have made a concerted effort to shed the “soft” label. They signed WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to a 2-year deal after scoring 9 TDs last season. He’s 6’3”, 216 pounds. (For reference, Tyreek Hill is 5’10″, 185 pounds, and Jaylen Waddle is 5’9”, 180 pounds.) They added a couple of interior offensive linemen – James Daniels from Pittsburgh and rookie Jonah Savaiinaea in the 2nd round, both of whom are listed over 320 pounds, and a 245-pound blocking TE, Pharaoh Brown, from Seattle. They also brought in 220-pound RB Alexander Mattison to challenge 2nd-year back Jaylen Wright (210 pounds) for the change-of-pace role opposite Achane.
If Mike McDaniel leans on his roots and calls more running plays (his offenses are consistently among the leaders in 21 personnel, putting a fullback on the field as an extra blocker), De’Von Achane will be in a better position to have a more efficient rushing season than last year.
Targets, Targets, and More Targets
It’s no secret that we LOVE running backs who earn targets and catch a ton of passes. And statistically speaking, it’s been proven how much more a target means to a running back’s production than just a carry. My co-host on No Punt Intended, Ryan Weisse, wrote an article for Footballguys back in 2021 that further illustrated the point. To update the data, I did some additional research to make sure the data is still relevant.
For reference on the data:
- Per-carry stats equal 1 fantasy point for 10 rushing yards + 6 fantasy points for every rushing touchdown divided by total carries
- Per-catch or per-target stats equal 1 fantasy point for every 10 receiving yards + 6 points for every receiving touchdown + 1 point per catch divided by the number of catches (or targets)
I took the top-50 scoring RBs in fantasy to average out these data sets (since they’re the ones that matter the most). Since 2021, RB carries are worth an average of 0.64 fantasy points. In PPR leagues, a target is worth 1.56 fantasy points, while a catch is worth 1.99.
Since 2023, De’Von Achane ranks 8th among RBs in targets, 5th in catches, and 4th in receptions per game. Just last year, Achane added 173.2 fantasy points just as a receiver. The average top-50 RB putting up this stat line would’ve added upwards of 155.22 fantasy points. That should tell you how elite Achane actually is.
Over the last four seasons, the top-3 RBs each season have all exceeded 50 targets, except for 2024. And it took Saquon Barkley rushing for over 2,000 yards to break that streak. (He had 43 targets, for what it’s worth.)
Similarly, Derrick Henry rushed for 2,027 yards in 2020 and only finished 3rd in total fantasy points. Alvin Kamara with his 107 targets finished 1st, and Dalvin Cook and his 54 targets finished 2nd. Receiving volume trumps top-end rushing production in fantasy football.
The targets heading Achane’s way give him a plausible case for a top-3 finish in 2025.
We dug into the Dolphins in our latest episode!
“Touchdown, Achane!”
Achane’s ability to score touchdowns despite his diminutive stature shouldn’t be considered a fluke. Plenty of people have one-season aberrations and then come back down to earth – I’m looking at you, James Cook. Achane scored 11 TDs in his first season and followed that up with 12 TDs in his second season.
Achane’s “nose for the end zone” is likely to continue given Mike McDaniel’s history with RBs. I mean, Raheem Mostert scored 18 rushing touchdowns for McDaniel and the Dolphins in 2023. At 31 years old. He also tacked on three more receiving touchdowns.
In 2019, McDaniel had the trio of Mostert, Tevin Coleman, and Matt Breida leading the 49ers’ rushing attack. His team scored 23 rushing touchdowns. The following year, the trio of Jeff Wilson, Mostert, and Jerick McKinnon led the 49ers offense to 19 rushing touchdowns. In 2021, a WR led the 49ers offense in rushing TDs with eight, as the team scored 22.
Since McDaniel arrived in Miami, the Dolphins jumped from 12 rushing TDs in 2022 to 39 combined rushing scores in 2023 and 2024. Of those 39 rushing touchdowns, De’Von Achane has scored 14.
Achane’s skill set as a receiver adds another dimension to his game. He’s scored nine receiving touchdowns in two seasons, tied for the most in the NFL among RBs. His quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, averages 33.15 pass attempts per game in three seasons with McDaniel as head coach and sports a 5.4% TD rate. That’s led to 73 passing touchdowns since 2022, 7th among all QBs in the NFL over that time. And as the main pass-catching threat among the Miami RBs, Achane should be in line for another 4-6 receiving TDs in 2025.
Can Achane Be a Top-3 RB in 2025?
After lighting the league on fire with 7.8 yards per carry, Achane’s regression to a still healthy 4.5 yards per carry should see a boost with improved interior line play. While I don’t expect his carries to increase significantly, an uptick in efficiency will make him a more valuable fantasy asset.
But his value lies in his receiving work. He led all running backs in receptions, receiving yards, and tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns in 2024. And while there are plenty of viable running backs with receiving chops, Achane has set himself apart in just two seasons in the league.
Tua Tagovailoa remaining on the field is obviously the best-case scenario for Achane. He scored only one total touchdown without Tua as the starting QB, and that was in a useless Week 18 game against the Jets. He also saw only 14 targets in those six games. But I’m not in the business of projecting injury.
A healthy Tua and a healthy Achane should mean that De’Von Achane will be at or near the top of your queue during your 2025 fantasy football drafts. And that’s why I have him ranked as my RB2 heading into 2025.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2025 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Miami Dolphins
Editor’s Note: While this article focuses 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
A couple of seasons ago, Tagovalioa led the league in passing yards and still couldn’t crack the Top 10 in fantasy. Last year, he wasn’t even in the Top 20. His presence is far more important to Achane, Hill, Waddle, and Smith than it is for fantasy managers looking for a QB.
Jaylen Wright
With Raheem Mostert now in Las Vegas, there are plenty of touches up for grabs in this backfield. Wright, a fourth-round pick by the Dolphins last year, should get first crack at the role behind Achane. He didn’t offer much as a rookie, recording just 249 yards on 68 carries, and next to nothing in the passing game, but that should improve in Year 2. He’s likely to have more value as an Achane handcuff than a standalone fantasy asset, but Achane does tend to miss time.
Alexander Mattison
If Wright struggles, Mattison is the veteran who will step up. Mattison isn’t as fast or dynamic as Mostert, so the role won’t be the same. However, Mattison wasn’t terrible last season and has played better in the backup role throughout his career. Still, he’ll have to get past Wright to provide any fantasy value.
Tyreek Hill
We all know Hill is dynamic and a threat to score every time he touches the ball. However, he was dealing with a wrist injury and bad play from Tua last year, finishing as the WR21. At 31 years old, his best days are likely behind him, but his fantasy cost is also down from his heyday. There’s still some risk, on top of age and last year’s struggles, there have also been rumors of his unhappiness in Miami and possible trade requests. All in all, it’s probably better if you can land him as your team’s WR2 and hope for some upside.
Jaylen Waddle
If Hill was disappointing last year, Waddle was just plain bad. Waddle played in 15 games but finished with just 83 targets and couldn’t crack the top 40 in fantasy. Even if you gave him his 10 points per game for the two games he missed, he was still the WR41. Basically, Waddle is not as good as we thought he was after 2023. But he’s also likely not as bad as we saw last year. He’s now a WR3 for your fantasy team, but unless we see better Tua or a Tyreek Hill trade, there is not much upside right now.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Only 11 receivers scored nine or more TDs last season. The most unlikely name on that list is certainly Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He was also the only player on the list to score nine times on fewer than 45 receptions. He had just 32. That means 28% of his catches last year were TDs. For perspective, Ja’Marr Chase led the league in catches and TDs last year, and he only scored on 13% of receptions. What Westbrook-Ikhine did last season is unrepeatable. Throw in that he left Tennessee for Miami, a team that hardly uses its third WR, and you have the potential for one of the biggest regression seasons we’ve ever seen. Do not draft.
Malik Washington
If Hill or Waddle go down, Washington matches their skill set far better than Westbrook-Ikhine. He didn’t do much as a rookie, but he should be a priority waiver add if an injury occurs.
Jonnu Smith
Who doesn’t love a seventh-year breakout? After never catching more than 50 balls in a season, Smith went bonkers in his first year in Miami. He recorded 88 receptions on 111 targets. With that volume, he put up 883 yards and eight TDs, resulting in a TE4 finish in fantasy. There is no indication his role will change in 2025, so it should be wheels up. However, he also wants a new contract, and trade rumors have started to swirl. Long story short, if he’s back in Miami, he’s a value in fantasy. If he’s traded, Smith is back on the streamer list.
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