It happens almost every year, but De’Von Achane of the Miami Dolphins can help you avoid it. The consensus No. 1 fantasy football pick doesn’t meet expectations. That player is set up for failure. The preseason ranking is based on everything past, and the top-rated player is typically coming off a career year he can’t duplicate.
It’s the same for other guys in the top five, but rarely as severe as the No. 1 spot. Enter De’Von Achane.
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane Primed for Big Year
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Wait. De’Von Achane isn’t even a starter. Yet. But the NFL is a league with one priority: What can you do for me on Sunday?
So before someone freaks out and says this is a supreme risk, remember all draft picks are risks because nobody knows who will get hurt and who won’t. Nobody knows which team will lose its quarterback and turn into an offensive mess that sucks the touchdown life out of the franchise.
So De’Von Achane isn’t that big of a risk. Yes, he’s top-five worthy. If you draft De’Von Achane and he fulfills his potential this season, you will have great difficulty finding a way to not win your league. Caveat: This advice is best used in league’s with bonus points for 50-plus-yard touchdowns. And if you have bonus points for 25-yard scores, it’s even more imperative to draft De’Von Achane very high.
That’s because De’Von Achane’s full potential is 1,900 total yards and 24 touchdowns. Yes, his ceiling actually puts him at No. 1 overall.
Can De’Von Achane Really Get That High?
So what does it take for him to reach such crazy numbers? First, he must stay healthy. But that’s the same for any other guy you might pick in the top five. Second, he only needs a crack in the door of playing time. I don’t think Raheem Mostert needs to suffer some kind of Week 1 season-ending injury. I think De’Von Achane will pass him up regardless. But if Mostert gets hurt, Achane is even more valuable.
Besides, if Mostert was any kind of real threat to Achane, he wouldn’t be ranked No. 76.
De’Von Achane is a touchdown waiting to happen. And because he’s on a team with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, he gets more chances to fly under the radar and break off big plays. In other words, he doesn’t need a ton of touches, he only needs Mike McDaniel’s skilled designs and the smallest of creases. And bang!
Plus, McDaniel has indicated De’Von Achane will have an expanded role this season.
One reason to buy into the De’Von Achane madness is he entered training camp with a little more bulk, according to palmbeachpost.com. That should help him stay healthy. Achane said he’s comfortable with heavy lifting in the NFL.
“Every offense I’ve been in for high school, college, it wasn’t just outside runs,” he said in 2023. “Most of my big runs come from running in between the tackles.”
He Who Hesitates Will Lose
OK, I get it. De’Von Achane is ranked No. 33 overall, according to the Fantasy Pros expert consensus rankings (for half-point PPR). Why not draft a little more conservatively and get him in Round 2? Because he probably won’t be there. He’s going at an ADP of 23, which is late second round in a 12-team league.
But in your league, he could be a first-round pick. And that’s not a stretch at all. So basically you get one shot at him.
On my aggressive board right now, Achane is No. 3 behind CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill. You might make a case for him at No. 4 if you believe the Bijan Robinson hype. Maybe Achane could slip to No. 5 if you want to roll with Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Full disclosure: My aggressive board drops Christian McCaffrey to No. 6 because of 272 rushing attempts last year. The other time he had 250-plus carries in a season, he played only 10 games over the next two years combined because of injuries.
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