Taking a look at the Jaylen Wright fantasy football value for the fantasy playoffs following the De’Von Achane injury update.
We have officially reached the Fantasy Football Playoffs! Congratulations if you are still alive in the quest for a championship, but rest assured, the job is not finished. It becomes more important now than ever to track injuries and player news to ensure the best possible lineup. Bench depth remains important, but it is no longer about playing the long game. Even blocking your opponent from filling a position of need is a strategic move this time of year. There is a real chance that some players we haven’t heard of all season could make an impact in the Fantasy Football Playoffs, and Jaylen Wright is among those names.
For the better part of the season, Wright appeared to be the third running back on the depth chart in Miami. Week 14 served as our first true evidence that this was not the case. With De’Von Achane suffering a rib injury, it was Wright who stepped in to have a massive volume day. 24 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown marked the best game of his young NFL career to date. He also saw three targets in the passing game while playing 52% of the Dolphins’ offensive snaps after Achane exited. All signs point towards Jaylen Wright fantasy owners being happy in the Fantasy Football Playoffs.
De’Von Achane Injury Update
With De’Von Achane having been a fantasy superstar for the duration of this season, plenty of managers were left in a panic when he left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with a rib injury. Although he did not return with the Dolphins in cruise control against the lowly New York Jets, Mike McDaniel’s comments suggested that he could have if needed. The latest De’Von Achane injury update appears to solidify this, with no broken ribs being shown on his MRI.
The other thing working in Achane’s favor is that the Dolphins do not play again until Monday night in Week 15. Thus, an extra day of recovery will be afforded to him. It will be worth monitoring how much he practices throughout the week, but for now, it appears as though fantasy managers deepening on Achane to be a stud have dodged a major bullet.
Jaylen Wright Fantasy Outlook
Despite the positive outlook surrounding Achane at the time of writing, managers are strongly advised to have a backup plan in place. Basically, for the entire year, there has been a lack of clarity as to whether Jaylen Wright or Ollie Gordon was the Dolphins backup RB to own. It seems safe to say that we got that answer in Week 14. It honestly makes total sense that Wright would be the guy, given that his skillset and profile are far more comparable to that of Achane than Gordon’s.
Rostering RB handcuffs in fantasy football is a sound strategy throughout the course of the season. However, that strategy gets amplified once we reach the playoffs. If you have Achane on your roster, you must prioritize adding Wright off of waivers this week, regardless of whether or not Achane is cleared to play in Week 15. Not only is it important to have the insurance policy with this being a Monday night game, but if Achane takes more damage in the game, having Wright in your back pocket could save your season in the coming weeks should you be fortunate enough to advance.
Fantasy Football Players to Drop for Jaylen Wright
Look, we all have a tendency to be loyal to the guys that are already on our roster as opposed to a backup RB who has barely played until this past week. In the Fantasy Football Playoffs, that bias MUST be tested and overcome. No one cares about the rookie WR on your bench who might break out before the end of the season. Overhauling how you approach your bench construction and roster outlook is paramount to best positioning yourself for a championship run.
With this in mind, the following is a list of players with at least 50% ownership in ESPN leagues that managers should not feel bad about dropping to pick up Jaylen Wright for the Fantasy Football Playoffs:
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (63.3%)
With Bucky Irving back from his extended absence and Sean Tucker also still floating around, White’s upside in fantasy football is gone at this point. He continues to be mixed in, but it would take another Irving injury for him to be worth starting in lineups.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs (62.4%)
Pacheco is playing behind Kareem Hunt in the Chiefs’ backfield since returning from his own injury. 33% of the snaps won’t cut it, and the Chiefs’ rushing attack has been pretty terrible all season long. Hunt is also the clear red zone back in Kansas City.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (52.4%)
I count myself among those who have held out hope, but Benson doesn’t appear to be on track to play again this season. Unless an unforeseen development occurs this week or your league has an IR spot that you can use, he can be dropped.
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (66.3%)
Let’s be honest, when will you ever feel good about starting Franklin in the do-or-die setting that is the fantasy playoffs? That sentiment only rings more true with Pat Bryant coming on in recent weeks.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (50.6%)
Downs has been entirely dependent on finding the end zone to produce even a modest fantasy stat line this season. Now, the Colts will be without Daniel Jones for the remainder of the season, which results in a downgrade for this passing attack as a whole.
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