Despite the emergence of explosive rookie De'Von Achane last season, Raheem Mostert still had a great year, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark and notching an absurd 18 touchdowns. He chipped in 25 receptions for 175 yards and three more touchdowns.
Despite those great numbers, the thought heading into the 2024 season was that Achane would ascend to the 1a, and Mostert would fall back to the 1b role. That did seem to play out a bit in Week 1's win over the Jaguars. Achane was on the field for 37 snaps, and Mostert was in for 31. Achane had four more carries and five more receptions than Mostert, as well.
Both Achane and Mostert have been DNPs this week at practice with ankle and chest ailments, respectively. There hasn't been too much concern expressed from coaches, but on a short week, DNPs are a little more worrisome with less recovery time available. How will the backfield situation play out for Miami's huge divisional matchup Thursday night?
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Will Raheem Mostert play in Week 2? Injury update on Dolphins' running back
After two consecutive DNPs, Raheem Mostert has officially been ruled out of the Dolphins' Thursday night matchup against the Bills. This was confirmed by Dolphins' head coach Mike McDaniel in a press conference on Wednesday.
It was a bit shocking to see Mostert ruled on on Wednesday morning as this indicates the injury may be a bit more serious than originally anticipated. This could also be a case of the Dolphins being particularly cautious with a veteran running back who they plan to rely on throughout the year. In either situation, monitoring Mostert's availability in practices next week will be important
MORE: De'Von Achane injury update
Taking a cautious approach could also be said in Achane's situation, but for different reasons. Achane is only in his second season, but at 5-9 and 188 pounds, the Dolphins could limit his practice reps just to avoid more wear and tear on a smaller body on a short week. The Dolphins already know they will be without Mostert on Thursday, so the last thing they would want to do is put unnecessary stress on Achane's body during practice.
The Dolphins are fortunate enough to have a deep running back room, so they could reasonably get by without Mostert or Achane. But they would certainly prefer to have one of their co-starters available against the Bills.
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Dolphins RB Depth Chart: Who is Raheem Mostert's backup?
Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane are both listed as starters at running back on the Miami Dolphins' official depth chart. Mostert's direct backup is listed as veteran Jeff Wilson Jr., while Achane's backup is listed as exciting 4th-round rookie Jaylen Wright.
Wright was inactive in Week 1, while Wilson did see some snaps and actually had the highest yards per carry out of all the running backs, as he picked up 26 yards on five carries, good for a 5.2 average. If Mostert is the one who's inactive, it's most likely that we'll see Wilson see a bump in usage. If Achane is the one who sits, Wright has more of a similar skill set and would likely be the backup there. Of course, if both sit, you're going to see both Wilson and Wright.
If there was concern about Wright being inactive in Week 1, offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Wright was a healthy inactive because of defensive and special teams needs, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Dolphins RB fantasy outlook Week 2
With Mostert already ruled out, touches become available in the Miami backfield for this week. As previously noted, Jeff Wilson Jr. seems to be the direct backup to Mostert. Wilson was the one who was picking up touches when Mostert missed two drives in Week 1.
Rookie Jaylen Wright will almost certainly be active after being a healthy scratch in Week 1. It is quite difficult to project his role without any clarity on Achane's status. He should be involved in some capacity, but McDaniel will likely ease him into the offense.
The fantasy-relevance of both Wilson and Wright largely hinges on the availability of Achane. If Achane is unable to play, both Wilson and Wright could realistically be started in deeper leagues. If Achane does suit up, Wilson seems likely to be given veteran deference and would get touches ahead of Wright.
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