The 2025 NFL season is around the corner, which means that fantasy football leagues will be firing up soon.
Preseason injury concerns are a constant worry, and the Dolphins’ backfield has already had a scare with star running back De’Von Achane. Fortunately, it sounds like his calf injury isn’t going to sideline him for long once the season starts. Still, it may be serious enough for Miami to be as cautious as possible and keep him out of at least the season opener to ensure he doesn’t aggravate the injury.
With Achane dealing with his injury, it has allowed his backups to get more reps. Veteran running back Raheem Mostert was released in the offseason, so two young players are primarily leading the backfield.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Here’s more on who could take over as the Dolphins’ starting running back with Achane dealing with an injury.
Dolphins RB depth chart
| Position | Player |
| 1 | De’Von Achane |
| 2 | Jaylen Wright |
| 3 | Ollie Gordon II |
| 4 | Mike Boone |
De’Von Achane
Achane was a third-round pick in 2023 and brought his impressive speed to the Dolphins. He played in 11 games as a rookie and had 800 yards with eight touchdowns, and he followed it up with 907 yards and six touchdowns last year. In both seasons, Mostert was eating into his workload, and 2025 was supposed to be the year he finally got the bulk of the work.
Achane is a proficient pass-catcher, and fantasy managers were excited about what his 2025 could look like. The Dolphins starter is getting drafted as the overall RB7 in half-PPR scoring formats. He is positioned right behind Christian McCaffrey and Ashton Jeanty and just ahead of Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor. If we receive reports that Achane’s injury is worse than expected and he lands on the PUP list, his ADP would drop significantly given the uncertainty of when he will return to the field. Barring that, it is safe to use an early pick on him.
MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL: Who is the best fantasy football RB in 2025?
Jaylen Wright
When scouting players, the Dolphins have a thing for speed. This proved even more true when Miami drafted Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He saw limited action, but he still showed off his jets, picking up 249 yards on 68 carries. Wright hasn’t been very efficient this preseason, picking up only 19 yards on 13 carries, but he does have a touchdown.
Wright picked up an injury at practice on August 21. He was able to walk off the field, but was taken into the team facility for further evaluation. With Achane banged up, any injury to Wright would lay down a red carpet for a rookie to waltz into the early season starting gig.
MORE NFL: Tracking Micah Parsons trade rumors
Ollie Gordon II
Gordon played his college ball at Oklahoma State and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The rookie has spent the preseason playing like he did in 2023 for the Cowboys. That year, he tallied an impressive 1,732 touchdowns and 21 touchdowns before taking a step back in his final year at Oklahoma State.
Through two preseason games, Gordon has played well. He has 18 carries and 83 yards with one touchdown. Gordon resembles a younger version of Mostert, and not just because he is wearing his number. He has been effective between the 20s, but he also punched in a touchdown at the goal line.
.@Ollie_Gordon2 over the top to put the Dolphins ahead
Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/upHh7QgXJx— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2025
MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL: Who is the best fantasy football QB in 2025?
Mike Boone
Boone is the veteran of the running back room. He was most recently with the Panthers, but he saw limited action in only six games, finishing with just 51 yards on 13 carries. He likely won’t have a big role with the Dolphins unless there are multiple injuries.
MORE NFL: Tracking Trey Hendrickson trade rumors
De’Von Achane injury updates
Achane picked up the injury during the second week of the preseason. He missed a second day of joint practice with the Lions and then sat out Miami’s second preseason game. After the game, head coach Mike McDaniel said that the running back was dealing with a soft tissue lower-body injury. He later clarified that it was a calf injury, saying, “Calves are the ones that you have to be super proactive, especially with explosive players — we don’t want to have a long, strenuous, nagging issue.”
With the Dolphins looking to be overly cautious with getting Achane back to the field, he is likely done for the preseason and will have two weeks to get ready to go for Week 1.
MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL: Best draft steals, undervalued players for 2025
Who is the Dolphins backup running back?
Miami’s backup running back is Wright, but he may have played himself out of his hold on the spot this preseason and the injury certainly doesn’t help. With how well Gordon has played, if Achane misses time, the rookie likely will force a split backfield. If Wright is also dealing with an injury, Gordon should get the bulk of the carries until Achane returns.
MORE NFL: How Colts botched their QB1 decision
Where should I draft De’Von Achane in fantasy?
Achane is being drafted as the overall RB7 in half-PPR scoring formats. He is being selected 14th overall, which, in 12-team leagues, is the second pick of the second round right after the turn. As long as Achane’s injury is still considered minor and there aren’t reports that it worsens, this is a great spot for him. If you are drafting over Labor Day weekend and there are talks that he may be put on the PUP list, this would tank his ADP as he would have to miss the first four games of the season at a minimum. Barring that, he should still be a backend of the first round or start of the second-round draft choice.
