Under head coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins offense is predicated on one thing: speed. The club seemingly has track stars at every position, and that includes running back. Last year, it was led by veteran Raheem Mostert and third-round pick De’Von Achane. Despite that tandem combining to miss eight games, the Dolphins still ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing (135.8 yards per game) while finishing first in both yards per carry (5.1) and touchdowns (27; tied).
Even with that success, Miami invested in its backfield during the offseason, selecting RB Jaylen Wright with the 120th overall pick. He adds more depth to a position that also has another steady veteran presence in the form of Jeff Wilson Jr., who has over 2,000 career yards on the ground.
With so many options, it’ll be interesting to see how McDaniel deploys them. Keeping that in mind, let’s look at what fantasy owners might expect from Dolphins running backs this season.
Raheem Mostert
Mostert led the way in 2023, and he sits atop the depth chart once again. Whether he’ll finish this year as the top runner is far from certain, however. At 32, the veteran is well past the age most backs start to wind down. In fact, by rushing for 1,012 yards a season ago, he became just the third back in the past decade to top 1,000 yards after the age of 30 — he joined retired RBs Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson. Injuries have been a major story throughout his career, and though he’s appeared in 31 of a possible 34 games in Miami, remember he played in just nine combined the previous two years.
A big part of Mostert’s appeal last season: his league-best 18 rushing touchdowns (21 total). That number feels like an anomaly. He entered 2023 with 14 career rushing scores. That makes him a prime regression candidate. Plus, for as good as he was, Mostert wasn’t nearly as impactful as Achane, who looked like he was about to set the league on fire before getting injured.
De'Von Achane
In Weeks 2-4 last year, Achane tallied 45 touches, 518 yards, and seven TDs. He injured his knee in Week 5, however, and wound up being placed on Injured Reserve. The then-rookie wasn’t nearly as explosive upon returning — he did top 100 yards twice over the final six weeks — but he’s fully healthy now and appears poised for a bigger role.
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When healthy, Achane is one of the fastest players in the NFL, and he’s a threat to take it the distance any time he touches the ball. The concern with the 22-year-old is durability. He checks in at 5-foot-9, 187 pounds, and that lack of size raises questions about how effectively he can hold up as his snap count increases. It also makes him a question mark in pass protection, which could force the coaching staff to look elsewhere on obvious passing downs.
Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson Jr.
You’ll never believe this, but Wright’s signature ability is speed. He ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash at the position and has the quickness to elude defenders without throttling down, so, like Achane, he has the potential for a house call at any point. Wright is a decent receiver out of the backfield as well. How much he’ll play likely depends on how healthy Mostert and Achane remain.
Wilson, meanwhile, is a steady presence that gives Miami another option if they feel the rookie isn’t ready right away.
Fantasy football outlook
This is an interesting situation for fantasy owners, as not only does Miami have explosive playmakers at running back, but they have them at wide receiver as well … and there’s only one football. Looking at Mostert and Achane, they have similar forecasts. Both have a high ceiling for their role in arguably the most high-powered offense in football while simultaneously carrying significant risk due to durability and, in the case of Mostert, age concerns.
If Achane can stay healthy, he should lead the backfield. Whether he’ll see the volume of touches to be a true RB1 is debatable, but as a midrange RB2 he’s worth taking a risk.
As for Mostert, we’ve all heard the saying “Father Time is undefeated.” Despite delivering huge for fantasy owners in 2023, viewing him as more than a low-end RB3 in 2024 is inviting trouble.
Of the other two backs, Wright is worth stashing in larger leagues as a late-round lottery ticket, while Wilson is waiver-wire material.
