According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Miami (4-1 straight up, 4-1 against the spread) will be without rookie running back De’Von Achane for multiple games and he’s a candidate to go on injured reserve due to a knee injury sustained in Sunday’s 31-16 win over the Giants. If he’s placed on IR, he’d miss at least the Dolphins’ next four games.
Achane was a third-round pick by Miami with the No. 84 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has delivered and then some in his first four games as a pro.
Achane has 460 rushing yards and five touchdowns on merely 38 attempts for an incredible 12.1 yards-per-carry average. He also has nine receptions for 67 yards and two TDs.
What’s even more impressive is that basically all of those numbers were produced in the last three games. Achane missed Miami’s opener and had only five rushing yards on one attempt, in addition to one catch for four yards, in his NFL debut in Week 2.
But in Week 3 of the Dolphins’ 70-20 home win over Denver, Achane had 203 rushing yards and two TDs on 18 attempts. He also had four receptions for 30 yards and two TDs.
Then in a 48-20 loss at Buffalo in Week 4, Achane had 101 rushing yards and two TDs on eight attempts. He went for 151 rushing yards and one TD on 11 carries vs. the Giants.
“It’s just something we’re treating that we’ll get more information on,” Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday. “He was in and out of the game, a standard rotation … He thought he might have something but he’s such a tough kid. It was kind of tough to read, so we needed to evaluate more and that’s what we’re doing today.”
Achane’s 460 rushing yards rank second in the NFL behind only San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey. His 12.1 YPC average is almost five yards more than the next closest player, the Jets’ Breece Hall (7.2 YPC).
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Achane’s 12.1 YPC average is the highest in NFL history through a team’s first five contests.
Achane’s injury will mean more usage for Raheem Mostert, who has 314 rushing yards, seven TDs and a 5.4 YPC average. The 31-year-old veteran out of Purdue also has 15 catches for 128 yards and one TD.
Mostert enjoyed a career season in 2022, rushing for 891 yards and three TDs while averaging 4.9 YPC. He also had 31 receptions for 202 yards and two TDs.
Miami veteran RB Jeff Wilson Jr. hasn’t played yet this season, but he’ll have his practice window opened this week after spending time on IR. Wilson had 392 rushing yards, three TDs and a 4.7 YPC average in eight games for the Dolphins last year. He also caught 12 balls for 94 yards and one TD.
Miami is currently ranked No. 1 in the NFL in total offense, passing yards, rushing yards and scoring with its 36.2 points-per-game average.
As of Tuesday morning, most betting shops had the Dolphins listed as 13.5-point home favorites for Sunday’s game vs. winless Carolina. The total was 48.5 points.