Why De’Von Achane is a deceptively risky fantasy RB

The Dolphins re-upped with De’Von Achane this offseason, essentially making him the centerpiece of their offensive rebuild. But fantasy managers should be wary of his RB6 / overall-11 ADP.

This has nothing to do with Achane’s talent. His well-documented “slight” frame (5’9” and 191 pounds) hasn’t materially slowed him down, despite pre-draft scouting reports that suggested otherwise. When was the last time a running back was as efficient as he’s been in his first three seasons? 4,334 offensive yards and 35 touchdowns on 716 touches is astounding. He possesses elite yards-after-first-contact and broken-tackle rates. He’s still somehow only 24 years old.

But fantasy success isn’t only about how good someone is. It’s also about how good his supporting cast is -- and more specifically, whether the rest of the offense can help sustain enough drives to keep the team’s star on the field and near the end zone.

In Achane’s first season, he benefited from playing in -- and contributed to -- an offense that was #2 in the league in points scored. The following year, they still posted a semi-respectable 20.3 points per contest, with Tyreek Hill playing all 17 games and Jaylen Waddle missing only two games. Achane was part of a “big three” that produced a somewhat balanced offense. Then last season, Hill was knocked out early, and yet the team still mustered 20.4 points per game.

This year is entirely different. A mostly untested Malik Willis will helm a passing attack consisting of de facto #1 WR Malik Washington, multiple journeyman wideouts, and three rookie wideouts. On paper, this is the least-effective offense this team has had, which is why they’re one of the biggest longshots to win the Super Bowl.

It’s very risky to invest in a fantasy running back -- even a great one like Achane -- in a subpar offense on a team that’s going nowhere. We cannot reasonably expect Miami to needlessly overwork their star offensive player in Year 1 of a four-year, $64 million contract. If you’re going to take a flyer on any Dolphin, make it Achane’s presumed handcuff, Jaylen Wright (RB74 ADP).

For a deeper dive on Achane and Wright, listen to this recent podcast episode .

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Why De’Von Achane is a deceptively risky fantasy RB

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