The regular season finale is always a bit unpredictable for the teams without playoff hopes on the line, which makes it an even trickier challenge for fantasy football managers who are still trying to optimize their starting lineup for this weekend.
Further complicating matters is a trio of injuries to one of the most explosive teams in the league, with Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, and Jaylen Waddle all dealing with injuries ahead of the final regular season game of the 2023 season for the Miami Dolphins.
What’s the latest news on these fantasy stars, and will they be available in Week 18?
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Unfortunately for fantasy managers who have relied on a career year from Mostert at the age of 31, his track record of durability issues came back to bite him in the fantasy championship round by missing his first game of the 2023 season last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
By missing last week’s game while dealing with both an ankle and knee injury, Mostert will have played a full season just one time in his nine years in the NFL.
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Mike McDaniel suggested he couldn’t see into the future and will have to see how it goes with Mostert’s progress.
“Yeah, I’m off the Raheem crystal balls,” said McDaniel. “It was a scar I felt. The intent was not to mislead, I promise. So we’ll approach it the same way we did last week with Raheem and see how that goes.”
According to a recent report from Adam Beasley of PFN, Mostert was one of many starters not spotted at Wednesday’s practice for the Dolphins.
Mostert has 1,187 total yards and an absurd 21 touchdowns through 15 games this year, which are all career highs across the board for the veteran back. The Dolphins offense certainly hopes Mostert can return to the field in time for their matchup against the Buffalo Bills in the season finale in a game where the winner will secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC and take the division crown.
Mostert struggled on the ground against the Bills earlier this year, rushing for just nine yards on seven carries back in the team’s 48-20 loss at Buffalo back on Oct. 1.
If Mostert is available against the Bills, he will be considered a top-15 fantasy option at the RB position for Week 18.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
If Mostert is unable to go for a second straight game, then fantasy managers may have the chance to see an expanded role for the explosive rookie running back from Texas A&M for another week.
Last week against Baltimore, Achane flourished in a leading role with 107 yards on 14 carries, with an additional four receptions for 30 yards and a score against one of the best defenses in the league.
In the five previous games heading into Week 17, Achane’s mind-blowing efficiency to start the year plummeted to 4.3 yards per carry while re-aggravating a knee injury and picking up a toe injury that depleted the dynamic playmaker of some of his explosiveness.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Fortunately, Achane showcased the burst we saw from him on numerous reps at the beginning of the year against the Ravens, which certainly has him back in the RB2 conversation this week if Mostert plays. However, Achane could climb up even further into the top 10 of the rankings if Mostert is sidelined for Week 18.
Despite a rough outing from the Dolphins offense against the Bills earlier this year, Achane still produced 120 total yards and two scores on just 11 touches back in early October. However, the explosive RB was limited at practice on Wednesday for Miami.
We’ll need to continue to monitor the practice reports for this offense, though, as we move throughout the remainder of the week to see if Achane or Mostert return to full strength before we make any conclusions about their respective spots in the rankings.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
Speaking of unavailable, Waddle was also unable to play against the Ravens in Week 17. His absence appeared to hurt the production of fellow WR Tyreek Hill when facing one of the best defenses the league has to offer.
Hill was held in check by the Ravens with six receptions for 76 yards, which was just the fourth time all year he has failed to top 80 yards receiving in a game this year.
This is noteworthy because one of those other four games this year where Hill was bottled up was against the Bills when he generated just three receptions for 58 yards. Waddle wasn’t any better against Buffalo with four receptions for 46 yards, but the Dolphins offense could certainly use all of their weapons heading into a game that can significantly impact their course to the Super Bowl.
Per Adam Beasley’s report mentioned earlier, Waddle was also one of the players not spotted at practice on Wednesday, which means fantasy managers will need to closely monitor his work in practice for the remainder of the week to ensure he takes the field in Week 18.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
