De'Von Achane Headlines Miami's Week 1 Trip to Vegas as Raiders' Run D Wobbles
Achane put up 323 PPR points last season and ranks as our RB5. He's the exact stress test Vegas' unsettled interior D-line doesn't want in Week 1.
RB5 with elite volume and a soft Vegas interior in a plus matchup.
- Achane: 323 PPR pts in 2025, our RB5
- 1,350 rush yds, 12 total TDs last season
- 67 catches, 488 rec yds in 2025
- Form: -2.6 fantasy pts vs season avg last 5
- Raiders' interior DL unsettled entering Week 1
The Dolphins open the 2026 season in Las Vegas on Sunday, and the whole afternoon runs through De'Von Achane. The 24-year-old back is coming off a career year — 1,350 rushing yards on 238 carries, eight rushing scores, plus 67 catches for 488 yards and four more touchdowns. That's 12 total trips to the end zone and 323 PPR points last season (2025, actual), good for our RB5.
He draws a Raiders defense with a genuine hole up the middle. Vegas is leaning on late-camp addition Folorunso Fatukasi (6-4, 318) alongside a rotation of Thomas Booker IV, Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues to control the A and B gaps. If that group can't hold the line of scrimmage, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker get exposed — and Achane, who ran a 4.32 forty, doesn't need much daylight.
Why This Matchup Tilts Miami's Way
Achane is a two-way problem, and that's the part Vegas should fear most. His work as a receiver forces defenders into coverage, which limits edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye from teeing off on quarterback Malik Willis. One blown assignment and Achane is gone — from the interior or the perimeter. Fresh defensive coordinator wrinkles from the Raiders' staff, kept vanilla all preseason, get their first real workout here.
The Miami side of the ball isn't a one-man show, though the supporting cast is thin on fantasy juice. Willis (51 PPR points across four games in 2025) is unranked in our model, so his upside is scramble-dependent rather than something you're plugging into lineups. This is Achane's offense to carry.
The Raiders Angle
Don't sleep on the other side either. Miami's defense is built around All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who racked up 183 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2025. Brooks is elite against the run but vulnerable in coverage — PFR charted him allowing 66 catches on 86 targets and three scores last year. That's the seam Vegas wants to attack with tight ends Brock Bowers (174 PPR pts, our TE11 in 2025) and Michael Mayer, plus checkdowns to Ashton Jeanty, our RB11.
Fantasy bottom line: start Achane with total confidence. His last five games dipped 2.6 points below his season average, but that's noise against a soft interior and a fresh 2026 slate — he's an every-week RB1 and a top-tier Week 1 play. On the Raiders side, Jeanty (245 PPR pts in 2025) stays a lock, and Bowers is a sneaky start given Brooks' coverage struggles down the middle.
