The Miami Dolphins backfield presents one of fantasy football‘s most intriguing scenarios for 2025, featuring an undervalued superstar and a high-upside sleeper. While De’Von Achane quietly finished as the RB5 in full-PPR scoring last season, his dependency on Tua Tagovailoa’s health has kept him from receiving accurate RB1 recognition in fantasy football circles.
Behind him, Jaylen Wright lurks as an explosive handcuff option who could seize expanded opportunities in his second NFL season. Understanding the fantasy football outlook of these two players could be the difference between championship glory and early playoff elimination.
De’Von Achane Fantasy Outlook
Achane isn’t being spoken about as the potential RB1 overall in 2025, but he should be. The Miami Dolphins speedster finished as the RB5 in full-PPR last season after being targeted 87 times in the passing game.
When Tagovailoa was healthy, though, Achane averaged 22.55 PPR points per game, which would have ranked first last year. Unfortunately, the Miami quarterback’s struggles to stay healthy affected Achane as much as the rest of the Dolphins offense.
In the six games that Tua didn’t start last year, Achane’s average points per game dropped to just 8.63, which would have ranked 42nd at the position. That drop-off isn’t lost on fantasy managers, with the Miami star currently available as the seventh running back off the board in drafts.
𝗗𝗲’𝗩𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 in his 𝟳 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 with 𝗧𝘂𝗮:
➖𝟮𝟯.𝟮 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 (𝟮𝗻𝗱)
➖𝟭𝟬𝟲.𝟲 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 (𝟰𝘁𝗵)
➖𝟭.𝟭 𝗧𝗗’𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 (𝟮𝗻𝗱)Scoring 𝟮𝟬+ 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 in 𝟲/𝟳 (𝟴𝟱.𝟳%) of his games is 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝘆… pic.twitter.com/cZ5pUPtfhd
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) November 27, 2024
The Dolphins have a new backup quarterback in Zach Wilson, who struggled with the Jets after being drafted second overall in 2021. Wilson will need to improve his performance in New York to resurrect his NFL career, but he could provide a more solid floor for Achane in fantasy.
The Dolphins’ running back position received a 23.1% target share in 2024, but Achane’s targets fell off a cliff without his starting quarterback. In Wilson’s last season as a starter (2023), the then-Jets quarterback targeted running backs on exactly 23.1% of his throws, something he should have no hesitation in replicating in Miami.
Jaylen Wright Fantasy Outlook
Wright has the size and explosiveness to be a big contributor. The only problem is, he’s stuck behind Achane on the Dolphins depth chart.
Wright’s rookie year was tough sledding after he excelled at the combine. The fourth-round pick was primarily used on first down, but he struggled to get going in a sporadic role and averaged just 2.9 yards per attempt on his 42 first-down carries.
However, Raheem Mostert had 85 carries and 28 targets in 2024, opportunities that could fall to Wright if he earns them. While it didn’t repeat last season, the Dolphins had two top-five running backs in fantasy points per game as recently as 2023. That’s unlikely to happen again, but if given a chance, Wright has the home-run speed to make a fantasy impact on limited touches.
Achane played all 17 games in 2024, but isn’t bulletproof, while Mostert’s vacated touches could be valuable in the hands of a younger, more spritely back. Wright is a high-upside handcuff who could explode in fantasy if Achane were to miss time. The emergence of rookie Ollie Gordon II isn’t irrelevant, though, and Wright will need to step up to keep the RB2 role in Miami.
