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RB De’Von Achane, MIA (1 Viewer)

8-12 touches a game might be enough to make him fantasy relevant if he can consistently break a long one. I like watching him, hopefully whoever he goes to will get creative.
 
Has there been a notable RB his size? Wrong question.
History isn’t on his side. If he was a WR I would be more interested. He won’t do enough to be fantasy relevant. I hope he goes in the first round and better players drop.
 
Achane is bigger than either Dunn or Archer, but no doubt history is not on his side. He is unlikely to make a living as an interior runner, but get him in space, and Achane is a potential gamebreaker. He is much more than just a track athlete playing football, as well. I would love to see Achane playing in an outside zone blocking scheme, such as San Fran or Miami.
 
Remember when Devonta Smith came out and everyone called him an outlier? Now look at all the skinny receivers coming out this year. Might be forgetting someone but I think we got one RB over 220 and he might not even get drafted. Shorter QB's getting drafted higher, 1.1 in a few cases. Have heard several comments on how thin the DB group is this year. I just think the league has been evolving a little and without doing research seems like players are getting smaller, at least at the skill positions and secondary.

Not deluding myself into thinking Achane is going to be some kind of bell cow workhorse but it does make me put less stock in feeling the need to find similar sized successful historical comps.
 
Remember when Devonta Smith came out and everyone called him an outlier? Now
Yeah, and it seems like every other time he gets hit, he comes up limping for a minute.

I’m not sure linebackers and safeties got the memo about the league’s evolution. lol

But I get what you’re saying, and yeah - there are a bunch of small/skinny WRs coming out this year. Some might be useful to NFL teams.

But at RB, I’m not sure we’re going to see a 5’8, 188 lb RB hold up to the rigors of the NFL. I know he’s a tough kid, especially for his size.

Dunn was definitely the outlier. If Achane can be WD2.0, well, there ya go. I guess that’s what anyone drafting him is hoping for.

It’s unlikely to be me.
 
Yeah, and it seems like every other time he gets hit, he comes up limping for a minute.
He's not missed a game. I'm not going to sit here and judge his durability based on how he looks after a hit. Come on man. Plenty of bigger WR's get up looking a bit wobbly as well.

I’m not sure linebackers and safeties got the memo about the league’s evolution. lol
Safeties are by and large smaller then they've been in the past and this years draft is filled with them. People have been discussing LB's getting smaller for years now. This is why there is a lot of talk about teams prioritizing blocking TE's and trying to take advantage of the shift to smaller D's designed more to defend the passing game.
 
Yeah, and it seems like every other time he gets hit, he comes up limping for a minute.
He's not missed a game. I'm not going to sit here and judge his durability based on how he looks after a hit. Come on man. Plenty of bigger WR's get up looking a bit wobbly as well.

I’m not sure linebackers and safeties got the memo about the league’s evolution. lol
Safeties are by and large smaller then they've been in the past and this years draft is filled with them. People have been discussing LB's getting smaller for years now. This is why there is a lot of talk about teams prioritizing blocking TE's and trying to take advantage of the shift to smaller D's designed more to defend the passing game.
I look forward to a future where no one in the NFL is over 5’7”

The once impossible dream of a team of Mini-Ditkas may one day finally be realized. :wub:

It all starts with Achane.
 
I really don't think I'll draft him, but his weight doesn't worry me for some reason. I just already know how he's going to be used in the NFL, and he isn't going to be a workhorse. You've got to be comfortable with ten-twelve touches a game max and then you know who you have.

He doesn't strike me as really a viable fantasy option. But this class is weighing in small. Massive disappointment for those of us with round two picks because of the hype, even though some of us read FBGs and were told not to value second round picks this year unlike years prior. So he still may be a second-round fantasy pick depending on draft capital.

Hoo baby.

I mean, meno's point is taken, but I've long held the opinion that this class was just a whiff by the devy guys, and every new thing that could potentially be an out for these guys (the running back class) comes back to earth in basic measurements.
 
but I've long held the opinion that this class was just a whiff by the devy guys
I continue to be of the opinion that it is not. Looks like a great class to me. Time will tell I guess.

Achane was a guy I was never high on for his diminutive size. I'm in agreement with you on him - he'll have a role with a team, but may not necessarily be FF-relevant. Hard to justify a FF roster spot with a 10-12 touch role.
 
I continue to be of the opinion that it is not. Looks like a great class to me. Time will tell I guess.

The reason I say that is because the guys that play RB are undersized or not testing. It's making it very tough for teams to draft them with any draft capital expended. And draft capital is really what we're living for in FF when it comes down to ultimate decisions. We were sort of hopeful for a minute that we'd see a takeover by the young guys, but they don't seem physically up to snuff for historical purposes. Unless we have a lot of really good, small guys. Then meno's point stands and we have a re-evaluation of what qualifies. But that bets against recent history, and it isn't the side of the coin i want to be on.
 
I continue to be of the opinion that it is not. Looks like a great class to me. Time will tell I guess.

The reason I say that is because the guys that play RB are undersized or not testing. It's making it very tough for teams to draft them with any draft capital expended. And draft capital is really what we're living for in FF when it comes down to ultimate decisions. We were sort of hopeful for a minute that we'd see a takeover by the young guys, but they don't seem physically up to snuff for historical purposes. Unless we have a lot of really good, small guys. Then meno's point stands and we have a re-evaluation of what qualifies. But that bets against recent history, and it isn't the side of the coin i want to be on.
I’m not sure that’s accurate since we still have yet to get to their pro days. Hey, it might be. But like you say, they’re not tested - but they will be.

Anyway, all somewhat off topic of the tiniest of the tiny in Achane.
 
I’m not sure that’s accurate since we still have yet to get to their pro days

I generally use "testing" as synonymous with "combine testing." I have really no desire to wade through nuances of pro days and fast tracks and hand clocked times, etc. Generally, Player Profiler adds about .5 to a guy's forty time, and that seems to be the most accurate way to do it.

Nobody is really paying attention to pro days. Tyjae Spears just dropped a 4.47-4.49 on his and there was nary a mention of it here. They're just not as accurate as the controlled testing the combine gave you. And the measurements that are coming in are guys weighing in small (besides Spears) and not running. That's a bad combo for those of us in the dynasty game.
 
Nobody is really paying attention to pro days
It has long been my understanding that player pro days were meaningful for players who sat out certain things at the combine.

For example, JSN was reportedly just past his hammy issue so he didn’t want to risk it with the 40, but did the other drills.

Maybe I’ve misunderstood the relevance of them. Makes me wonder why they’d bother to host them if what you say is accurate.
 
It has long been my understanding that player pro days were meaningful for players who sat out certain things at the combine.

They're helpful, but you need a huge grain of salt to go with them. For example, Spears's recent forty was revised from a 4.54 to about a 4.47 as the scouts moved along. It's just not as reliable, and the times are generally faster on pro days than the combine. So it gives you a gauge, but it's nowhere near as effective when measuring across the class or even between historical classes. There's too much variance in the times and tracks. I mean, broad jumps and vertical jumps are tough to fake, so you can take those seriously, but any timed drill isn't given the scrutiny that it receives at the combine.
 
You've got to be comfortable with ten-twelve touches a game max and then you know who you have
I agree and when I was trying to make my point earlier about the league going smaller I was trying to clarify there is nothing about him that was making me try and make an argument he was a workhorse. 10-12 is more of a realistic goal and in fantasy he'll need to have 1/3rd of that in the receiving game to have relevance.

've long held the opinion that this class was just a whiff by the devy guys
It's a little light on high end supreme RB talent IMO, but I'd stack the potential starter quality depth against any class in last 10 years. Now what remains to be seen is do a lot of these RB's this time next year give you confidence they are their teams starters or are they the kinds that are going to make you nervous every draft class/FA cycle? My guess is right now a few outside of Gibbs/Bijan will prove to be that, but just a few.
 
Devon Achane - 4.32, 188lbs

Chris Johnson - 4.24, 195lbs

For what it's worth, Achane is shorter too, putting his BMI at 28.2 vs 27.2 for CJ2K.
I've been getting excited myself.
He reminds me of Warrick Dunn, you can look up his numbers and stats but they are built similar and run similar, I don' think Achane is a Chris Johnson clone but I get the comparison in terms of raw speed, still Johnson was faster or quicker getting up to top speed. I never saw anyone go from 1st to 5th gear much faster than Johnson.

If Achane is in the spectrum of a Warrick Dunn then he has a bright future in the NFL. I like RBs that can do multiple things, I like his ability to catch passes.
I would like for him to stay on he board until Miami picks at #84 but that's likely wishful thinking. Miami also has #51 they can use but that seems a little early from projections plus there are some nice impact players in the 2nd Rd already. Not at RB necessarily but other positions Miami should be looking at like OL unfortunately.
 
I’m not sure linebackers and safeties got the memo about the league’s evolution.
Defenses are getting smaller as they try to keep up with faster offenses and the league rules have taken a lot of the physicality over the middle out of the game.
I often wonder what would happen if you had a team predicated on running the ball with not 1 but 2 primary ball carriers that could each take as many as 20+ carries and throw the ball as defenses pinch up to stop the bludgeoning the OL is dishing out on offense. I would think a light defense or a defense with a softer middle would be eaten alive.

The Miami Dolphins had a terrible defense in the Mid to late 80s, couldn't stop the run to save their life and rarely could sack the QB, a bad combination.
They were run over week in and week out
 
I’m not sure linebackers and safeties got the memo about the league’s evolution.
Defenses are getting smaller as they try to keep up with faster offenses and the league rules have taken a lot of the physicality over the middle out of the game.
I often wonder what would happen if you had a team predicated on running the ball with not 1 but 2 primary ball carriers that could each take as many as 20+ carries and throw the ball as defenses pinch up to stop the bludgeoning the OL is dishing out on offense. I would think a light defense or a defense with a softer middle would be eaten alive.

The Miami Dolphins had a terrible defense in the Mid to late 80s, couldn't stop the run to save their life and rarely could sack the QB, a bad combination.
They were run over week in and week out
Probably would do ok against bad teams but would need an elite defense to ultimately keep up with Allen, Mahomes, etc
 
Remember when Devonta Smith came out and everyone called him an outlier? Now look at all the skinny receivers coming out this year. Might be forgetting someone but I think we got one RB over 220 and he might not even get drafted. Shorter QB's getting drafted higher, 1.1 in a few cases. Have heard several comments on how thin the DB group is this year. I just think the league has been evolving a little and without doing research seems like players are getting smaller, at least at the skill positions and secondary.

Not deluding myself into thinking Achane is going to be some kind of bell cow workhorse but it does make me put less stock in feeling the need to find similar sized successful historical comps.
This is valid. It's very possible that this might be the best time for Achane and Gibbs to enter the league.

I think this can be true, and it can also be true that a bunch of these WRs aren't gonna make it, might turn out to be a weak class.
 
Dunn, Best, CJ2K, Sproles...

can we add Dion Lewis to the list of small fantasy relevant RBs? Around longer than Best, but similar to Best looked amazing for one season in NE.... then he broke and was a non-factor for his time in TEN.

5'7" 193 combine, 4.62 40

40-time surprised me. Maybe more elusive than fast, where Achane might be more fast than elusive?

Whether it's Dunn, Lewis, or Sproles, as a guy that wanted this to be an option at 1.7 1QB, it just kind of feels like you need to hit a homerun to get a RB that's worthy of the pick.

I think I have Spears ahead of him, who is also small but cracks the Mendoza line. Not an option at 1.7, but if I was closer to the turn I think I might be leaning Kendre Miller. Achane -vs- Evans/Bigsby/Roschon is a debate I'm kind of glad I don't need to worry about.
 
Dunn, Best, CJ2K, Sproles...

can we add Dion Lewis to the list of small fantasy relevant RBs? Around longer than Best, but similar to Best looked amazing for one season in NE.... then he broke and was a non-factor for his time in TEN.

5'7" 193 combine, 4.62 40

40-time surprised me. Maybe more elusive than fast, where Achane might be more fast than elusive?

Whether it's Dunn, Lewis, or Sproles, as a guy that wanted this to be an option at 1.7 1QB, it just kind of feels like you need to hit a homerun to get a RB that's worthy of the pick.

I think I have Spears ahead of him, who is also small but cracks the Mendoza line. Not an option at 1.7, but if I was closer to the turn I think I might be leaning Kendre Miller. Achane -vs- Evans/Bigsby/Roschon is a debate I'm kind of glad I don't need to worry about.
Sproles was a bowling ball, and doesn’t belong in the same sentence as Achane. Completely different body types. 5’6”, 190

Achane is 3” taller and 5 LBs lighter.
 
^^^^ Sproles isn't my comp, but he was previously mentioned in this thread. I think all sub-200 RBs that mattered at all for fantasy are worth noting when discussing Achane. Some are better comparisons than others.

I'm open to the idea that his size might be less of an issue in the new NFL. But usage, even on the right offense is going to cap his upside. Then you have the question of durabilty beyond that. To his credit, he's SEC battle tested.
 
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^^^^ Sproles isn't my comp, but he was previously mentioned in this thread. I think all sub-200 RBs that mattered at all for fantasy are worth noting when discussing Achane. Some are better comparisons than others.

I'm open to the idea that his size might be less of an issue in the new NFL. But usage, even on the right offense is going to cap his upside. Then you have the question of durabilty beyond that. To his credit, he's SEC battle tested.
Speaking of under 200 pound guys that are SEC battle tested, why is Achane a bigger risk than James Cook was a year ago? Cook was 5-11 190. Achane is probably better built than he was, and he was a 2nd round pick.

Sproles isn't a fair comp, but he's not an unreasonable expectation if that makes sense. For example, I could absolutely see Achane in Denver as Payton's new passing game mismatch RB, especially as reports on Javonte Williams are sketchy at best, and Denver has 2 early 3rd round picks.
 
^^^^ Sproles isn't my comp, but he was previously mentioned in this thread. I think all sub-200 RBs that mattered at all for fantasy are worth noting when discussing Achane. Some are better comparisons than others.

I'm open to the idea that his size might be less of an issue in the new NFL. But usage, even on the right offense is going to cap his upside. Then you have the question of durabilty beyond that. To his credit, he's SEC battle tested.
Speaking of under 200 pound guys that are SEC battle tested, why is Achane a bigger risk than James Cook was a year ago? Cook was 5-11 190. Achane is probably better built than he was, and he was a 2nd round pick.

Sproles isn't a fair comp, but he's not an unreasonable expectation if that makes sense. For example, I could absolutely see Achane in Denver as Payton's new passing game mismatch RB, especially as reports on Javonte Williams are sketchy at best, and Denver has 2 early 3rd round picks.
Excellent post. I think the answer would be: Cook was over-drafted by the Bills and because of the inflated draft slot and the landing spot, Cook's entire outlook has gotten inflated. Achane is a far better prospect than James Cook.
 
^^^^ Sproles isn't my comp, but he was previously mentioned in this thread. I think all sub-200 RBs that mattered at all for fantasy are worth noting when discussing Achane. Some are better comparisons than others.

I'm open to the idea that his size might be less of an issue in the new NFL. But usage, even on the right offense is going to cap his upside. Then you have the question of durabilty beyond that. To his credit, he's SEC battle tested.
Speaking of under 200 pound guys that are SEC battle tested, why is Achane a bigger risk than James Cook was a year ago? Cook was 5-11 190. Achane is probably better built than he was, and he was a 2nd round pick.

Sproles isn't a fair comp, but he's not an unreasonable expectation if that makes sense. For example, I could absolutely see Achane in Denver as Payton's new passing game mismatch RB, especially as reports on Javonte Williams are sketchy at best, and Denver has 2 early 3rd round picks.
Excellent post. I think the answer would be: Cook was over-drafted by the Bills and because of the inflated draft slot and the landing spot, Cook's entire outlook has gotten inflated. Achane is a far better prospect than James Cook.
Agreed, I had Cook as a 4th round prospect, and was surprised he went in round 2. To his credit he looked pretty good when he played last year and held off a proven vet in Hines. Achane is a better prospect in my opinion, and one that could go as high as Cook did and will be no later than 70th overall or so. It wouldn't blow my mind if he was the 3rd RB off the board depending on who is drafting.
 
Agreed, I had Cook as a 4th round prospect, and was surprised he went in round 2. To his credit he looked pretty good when he played last year and held off a proven vet in Hines . Achane is a better prospect in my opinion, and one that could go as high as Cook did and will be no later than 70th overall or so. It wouldn't blow my mind if he was the 3rd RB off the board depending on who is drafting.
With his wheels, he could be RB2 off the board. Of course Gibbs is fast too but honestly, Achane is a better runner.
 
It wouldn't blow my mind if he was the 3rd RB off the board depending on who is drafting.
I actually would bet he goes third.
Funny, I have him #4 behind Charbs. The other "gem RB" is Kendre Miller... but again Draft Capital will help sort the RB3-9 rankings.
We may not be talking about the same thing. Just to be sure I'm talking about the real NFL draft.

The real NFL covets speed more then us. I think a RB like Charb, as well as some other RB's, will need to line up with a team that needs a RB to be drafted overly high while Achane will have a wider market as a team that may not need a RB may just see value in Achane as a weapon.

These are reasons I feel stronger predicting Achane will be the third RB chosen in the real NFL draft more then I feel comfortable trying to predict who will be the third RB chosen in dynasty drafts. That could end up being Achane, but I think it's more likely someone else from the field.
 
It wouldn't blow my mind if he was the 3rd RB off the board depending on who is drafting.
I actually would bet he goes third.
Funny, I have him #4 behind Charbs. The other "gem RB" is Kendre Miller... but again Draft Capital will help sort the RB3-9 rankings.
I have Achane 4th as well. After him its a bit of a crapshoot. Miller, McBride (who I think I like more than most), Spears, Bigsby are all in play. Also like Chase Brown as a deeper sleeper.

ETA: I really don't get the Roschon or Israel hype. Those look like roster fillers to me.
 
It wouldn't blow my mind if he was the 3rd RB off the board depending on who is drafting.
I actually would bet he goes third.
Funny, I have him #4 behind Charbs. The other "gem RB" is Kendre Miller... but again Draft Capital will help sort the RB3-9 rankings.
We may not be talking about the same thing. Just to be sure I'm talking about the real NFL draft.

The real NFL covets speed more then us. I think a RB like Charb, as well as some other RB's, will need to line up with a team that needs a RB to be drafted overly high while Achane will have a wider market as a team that may not need a RB may just see value in Achane as a weapon.

These are reasons I feel stronger predicting Achane will be the third RB chosen in the real NFL draft more then I feel comfortable trying to predict who will be the third RB chosen in dynasty drafts. That could end up being Achane, but I think it's more likely someone else from the field.
Valid point... I was making a Fantasy Draft RB4 grade. I see Charbs are more of a complete RB (size, power, speed, hands, vision, etc) than Achane in potential Fantasy value.
 
Agreed, I had Cook as a 4th round prospect, and was surprised he went in round 2. To his credit he looked pretty good when he played last year and held off a proven vet in Hines . Achane is a better prospect in my opinion, and one that could go as high as Cook did and will be no later than 70th overall or so. It wouldn't blow my mind if he was the 3rd RB off the board depending on who is drafting.
With his wheels, he could be RB2 off the board. Of course Gibbs is fast too but honestly, Achane is a better runner.
Achane is an enigma for me. He is a better runner than Gibbs. If he weighed the same as Gibbs he'd be my rb2. Honestly if he was the same size as Bijan he might be my rb1.
He ran well between the tackles even when rammed up the middle over and over against teams like bama and LSU (stats weren't great against bama but he was grinding out tough yards on almost every carry).
But who is a success story at his size? I can only think of Warrick Dunn, and he was drafted almost 30 years ago.
 

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