Injuries continue to wreak havoc on fantasy lineups. It’s even worse when they coincide with bye weeks. After a month on IR, the Miami Dolphins activated De’Von Achane ahead of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Can fantasy football managers trust him in Week 11 lineups in his first game back?
Latest Injury Update on De’Von Achane
We last saw De’Von Achane play in Week 5 when he ripped off 151 yards and a touchdown on 11 carriers. It was his third consecutive 100-yard rushing day. Unfortunately, he sustained a knee injury and was placed on IR shortly thereafter.
Achane hasn’t played since, but we recently learned that Achane’s injury wasn’t that serious. He could’ve played through it with a brace, but the Dolphins wisely exercised caution with the explosive rookie.
Will Achane Play This Week?
Earlier this week, the Dolphins opened Achane’s 21-day window for activation. He practiced all three days and was listed as questionable. However, the questionable designation is completely meaningless when it comes to players returning from IR. They are either activated by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Saturday or not.
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The Dolphins did activate Achane ahead of the deadline. While nothing is 100 percent until inactives come out 90 minutes before kickoff, the team would not have activated Achane if he wasn’t playing.
Should You Start Achane This Week?
In many cases, we exercise restraint when ranking players fresh off an extended layoff. Oftentimes, there is, in fact, a dip in production, whether due to rust or the team easing the player back into action.
Given what we know about Achane’s injury, it does appear as if he is 100 percent healthy and likely could have played sooner, if necessary. That means Achane is less likely to be limited.
Raheem Mostert will start for the Dolphins, but that was always the case. It has no real bearing on Achane’s role. This will remain a committee, with both backs being fantasy viable.
The Raiders have been a very favorable matchup for running backs. They allow 24.5 fantasy points per game to the position, the eighth-most in the league. They allow 4.5 yards per carry and 11 rushing yards per game.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have been pretty good against the pass, allowing the 10th-fewest PPG to quarterbacks. That makes them quite the run funnel. With the Dolphins heavy home favorites, this is a great spot for them to lean on the running game. We could see big days from both Mostert and Achane this week.
Before going down, Achane was trending toward being a top-five weekly option at the position. Don’t let the four-game absence deter you from reinserting Achane into your lineups. I am expecting him to pick up right where he left off.
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