De'Von Achane Fantasy Football Outlook After 4-Year, $68M Extension With The Miami Dolphins
Adam Pfeifer breaks down De'Von Achane's fantasy football value in both redraft and dynasty after his 4-year extension with the Dolphins.
The Miami Dolphins are amidst a massive roster overhaul, moving on from players left and right. But during the process, they made it abundantly clear that star running back De'Von Achane isn’t going anywhere.
They told no lies.
Achane and the Dolphins agreed to a four-year, $68M extension on May 13, making him the third-highest paid running back in the NFL. It’s a well-deserved pay day for one of the league’s best offensive players. Since entering the league in 2023, here are some of Achane’s ranks among running backs with at least 150 carries:
- 1st in YPC (5.6)
- 1st in YAC/ATT (3.8)
- 20% avoided tackle rate (24th)
- 1.7 YBC/ATT (5th)
Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
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De'Von Achane's 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook With The Miami Dolphins
Following the departures of both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Achane is the unquestioned best player in this offense. There has been so much change in Miami right now, between the coaching staff, quarterback and wide receiver room. Achane is the only constant, and he should see plenty of volume.
It may just be a different volume.
Receptions have been a huge part of Achane’s game since entering the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Achane has averaged 72.5 catches and 86 targets, meshing perfectly with Mike McDaniel’s scheme and Tua Tagovailoa’s tendencies. But the changes in this Miami offense will directly impact Achane, especially his targets in the passing game.
Over the past two seasons, new Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis has a very healthy 15% scramble rate, while sporting a checkdown rate of only 6.7%. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, recorded a 2.5% scramble rate and 14.5% checkdown rate during that same span. And since 2023, a healthy 28.4% of Tua’s pass attempts have been at or behind the line of scrimmage, the third-highest rate among all signal-callers. Tagovailoa has always had a propensity to get the ball out immediately, which has benefited Achane quite a bit.
However, perhaps the most notable change will be moving away from McDaniel’s elite and fantasy-friendly run scheme. From 2022 to 2025 under McDaniel, the Dolphins led the league in use of shift-motion (73.5%), giving Achane so many advantageous looks in both the run and pass game. No running back in football has seen more targets from motion since 2023 than Achane (56), who also comfortably leads the league in such receptions (47) and yards (365) during that span. McDaniel knew exactly how to maximize Achane’s game-breaking speed, so hopefully Bobby Slowik can do the same with his outside-zone scheme.
Overall, Achane is going to see as much work as he can handle. We know the efficiency will remain elite, but if there is a noticeable dip in receiving work, it’ll likely move him down the fantasy ranks, especially in an offense that is expected to once again be a bottom-10 unit in the league. He currently checks in as the RB6 in Fantasy Life’s consensus PPR rankings.
What is De'Von Achane's Dynasty Fantasy Football Value?
Before this extension, Achane was quickly becoming one of the more interesting players in all of dynasty fantasy football. After teams reportedly reached out to Miami at the deadline last season, it appeared there was even a chance he’d be playing elsewhere in the near future. And although the idea of Achane in an elite offense again is exciting (imagine Seattle), the fact that he’s solidified as the focal point of Miami’s offense for the next four years does feel good.
Still just 24 years old, Achane is going to perform like one of the game’s top running backs for years to come. It would be great if Willis’ small sample size of stellar play continues to expand, giving Achane a legit running mate over the next handful of years. Regardless, it makes sense to rank him as high as dynasty’s RB5, behind Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jeremiyah Love and Ashton Jeanty.
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