The Miami Dolphins are a tough team to gauge when it comes to their best players and their fantasy football outlook ahead of the 2025 season. Tyreek Hill was once the undisputed best receiver in the NFL, but he is coming off his worst season since his rookie year. Fellow receiver Jaylen Waddle is also uber-talented, but his best numbers came during his rookie season. De'Von Achane is another player with tons of potential outcomes when it comes to his fantasy numbers this year.
De'Von Achane's 2024 fantasy football stats
Achane had one of the most efficient seasons ever as a rookie in 2023. His incredible speed and elusiveness led to 800 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in just four starts and 103 carries. Despite the potential of stardom that he showed, he still wasn't an undisputed first-rounder in fantasy drafts in 2024.
During that 2024 season, Achene's rushing numbers only marginally improved, despite the fact that he had a much bigger role. The running back ran for 907 yards and six touchdowns in 203 attempts. He thrived as a pass-catcher, though, evidenced by his 78 receptions for 592 yards.
Achane became a PPR darling (299.9 PPR points) who ranked fifth for running backs in that format, but he was less impressive in standard leagues. Achene's 221.9 standard fantasy points only ranked ninth among running backs.
De'Von Achane's 2025 fantasy football projections
The Dolphins as a whole disappointed last season, but their offense is expected to show signs of improvement in 2025. That extends to Achane, who is projected to increase his production to the likes of 1,000 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns this year, according to ESPN.
This projection accounts for Tua Tagovailoa staying healthy, which is far from a guarantee. If the quarterback can stay on the field, Achane will benefit because Tagovailoa throws lots of screen passes to running backs. Achane is incredibly explosive with the ball in his hands, and he is always a threat to break off a big play and go the distance.
However, Achane does have some factors going against him this year. Hill recently made some questionable remarks, recommending that Achane doesn't play on third down. The Dolphins struggled in short-yardage situations last year, and Achane is far from a power back. While Hill should have kept his comments to himself, he wasn't necessarily wrong. Achane's lack of ability to run through defenders and gain extra yards after contact could lead to other ball carriers getting opportunities in Miami.
Most notably, Jaylen Wright is a great fit for a Mike McDaniel-led offense, and he could drastically cut into Achane's workload this season. Ollie Gordon also brings the powerful running style that is otherwise lacking on the roster.
Fantasy football running back rankings
Achane is a talented but flawed player, which gives him serious boom or bust potential on a week-to-week basis. He is listed by fantasypros.com as the 15th-best fantasy player overall and the seventh-ranked running back. His average draft position is 14.
Achane has a higher ceiling than running backs being drafted in the same area as him, such as the aging Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs. Those players might have higher floors than the Miami back, though. Furthermore, running backs such as Jonathan Taylor, Chase Brown, and Bucky Irving could all end up with a lot more carries come season's end.
In Miami's offense, Hill and Waddle will want more targets than they got last year, but there also isn't a great third pass-catching option on the Dolphins offense. Achane's value comes in PPR leagues because he can once again rack up the receptions. In standard formats, don't be surprised if he doesn't live up to his draft billing because Wright and Gordon seem primed to steal carries.
