Christian McCaffrey vs De'Von Achane

“Christian McCaffrey is coming off quite a poor year by his standards in the ground game, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. But for fantasy purposes, that simply didn't matter, as McCaffrey saw 129 targets, more than A.J. Brown, Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen or Zay Flowers had. McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2.”

“It's true that Christian McCaffrey is coming off quite a poor year by his standards in the ground game, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina, which ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt.”

“McCaffrey saw 129 targets, more than A.J. Brown, Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen or Zay Flowers had. McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2.”

“But for fantasy purposes, that simply didn't matter, as McCaffrey saw 129 targets, more than A.J. Brown, Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen or Zay Flowers had. McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2.”

“It's true that Christian McCaffrey is coming off quite a poor year by his standards in the ground game, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.”

“McCaffrey recently turned 30, and while he can maintain his value in the receiving game, the cliff edge can come fast for running backs.”

“McCaffrey is coming off one of his worst rushing performances of his career, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts. He also ranked 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.”

“Last season, Christian McCaffrey finished as the RB1, averaging 24.5 PPR fantasy points per game, totaling 45.8 more fantasy points than any other running back. However, McCaffrey had 413 regular-season touches last year, a career-high. Unfortunately, the last time he had over 375 touches in a season, McCaffrey missed 13 games the following year.”

“McCaffrey says he's had heavy workload seasons where he felt rough after and some he felt great after, making it all about how he prepares mixed with some luck. "Sometimes you can get through a season with 400-plus touches and feel great, and sometimes you might only put in three games and you feel terrible. I've experienced both."”

“Coming off a year where McCaffrey had five games with at least 30 touches, HC Kyle Shanahan has talked about reducing the star's workload as he ages. McCaffrey said he obviously doesn't want the ball less, but he's still preparing his body to be ready to handle 35 touches a game.”

“McCaffrey turns 30 on June 7th, and while 129 targets last year isn't to be sniffed at, this bet does feel slightly thin at times. McCaffrey is a stronger pick slightly later than this.”

“The trouble is that McCaffrey PPR scammed his way to first place with his worst rushing production in a while. His 3.9 yards per carry was his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.”

“We would be kidding ourselves if we didn't consider Achane to be the centerpiece of the Dolphins' offense and our fantasy rosters. Stacking this receiving production on top of the leader of 40+ yard rushes since 2023 feels like cheating, but because of this, he will be the highest-scoring Dolphin for fantasy this year.”

“Achane is certainly talented enough to overcome these obstacles, but the concerns around him aren't factored into his early second-round average draft position (ADP). I'm not projecting him to fall into RB3 territory, but an RB2 finish is certainly plausible, which would be a major disappointment.”

“I was high on De'Von Achane last season, and I still expect him to get a ton of usage. Repeating his 2025 season, however, feels a bit lofty. The massive season came under Mike McDaniel's offense, which featured one of the league's most creative rushing attacks. McDaniel is now in Los Angeles as the Chargers' offensive coordinator.”

“This season, Malik Willis is slated to be under center for Miami. He's a dual-threat passer who will take away some of Achane's receiving opportunities when he decides to tuck it and run. If Achane gets roughly 75-80% of the targets he's been getting, he'll be a fine second-round selection. But if the receptions plummet, he'll be hard-pressed to pay off his fantasy football ADP.”

“De'Von Achane is currently going just outside of round one with an ADP of 15.5, but that has more to do with uncertainty around his offensive environment than his talent. Since 2024, Achane has amassed 145 receptions for 1,080 yards and 10 scores through the air. In 2025, 43.3% of Achane's fantasy points came via receiving. In 2024, it was an absurd 57.8%.”

“De'Von Achane has been terrific throughout his NFL career, but when Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill weren't on the field, Achane saw significant target share increases (14.8%, 18.4%, and 15.6% respectively). However, with the Dolphins having almost no receiving talent besides Achane and a new quarterback in Malik Willis who saw limited time as a starter, a top-five result might be a bit lofty despite his expected volume.”

“Miami RBs Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II are competing for time as De'Von Achane's primary backup.”

“As for his first impression of HC Jeff Hafley, Achane said he's noticing the relationships he's building with their entire roster. "Great coach. This is my first time having a head coach that's a defensive guy, so I'm always telling him like, OK, get on the defensive side of the ball, but he's a great coach, man. You see now the relationships he's building, he's trying to get to know everybody."”

“Achane mentioned on a podcast that he doesn't have time to be on a rebuilding team. He explained he can't have the mindset that they are going to "lose every game." "As a football player that's a competitor, the rebuild phrase for me it's like, OK, they're basically saying we're going out here to lose every game."”

“Achane signed a four-year, $64MM extension in May. Brewer's work helped Achane to a career-best season.”

“Achane has been a fantasy star because of his role in the passing game, totaling at least 67 receptions in back-to-back years. The Bills gave up the sixth-most PPR fantasy points per game to running backs last season, including 56.6 to Achane in two matchups.”

“If you spent $70 on running back but somehow came away with James Cook and De'Von Achane (which is a bit under our current dollar value calculator), that could be just fine.”