Miami Dolphins starting running back Raheem Mostert suffered a chest injury in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Running back De’Von Achane may be in line for another big performance after handling the ball 29 times against the Buffalo Bills last week. Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel shared on Friday that it’s looking like Raheem Mostert will miss a second-straight game due to a chest injury suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I’m an optimistic person, so I would say I’d be pessimistic that he’d play, which is telling, but I can’t rule it out,” McDaniel said when speaking to reporters.
Achane played 62 percent of Miami’s offensive snaps against Buffalo, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and catching all seven targets for 69 yards. The second-year tailback could be Sunday’s X-factor against a Seattle defense that missed 18 tackles through two weeks and allowed New England to average 5.1 yards per rush last week.
It’s a favorable matchup that McDaniel will try to exploit. However, Miami must also weigh Achane’s season-long workload, especially with Mostert unlikely to suit up. The Dolphins leaned on Mostert for 44 percent of snaps in Week 1, but remember that the front office has invested beyond their dynamic 1-2 punch at running back.
The Dolphins exchanged a future third-round pick to draft Jaylen Wright in the fourth round of April’s draft. He only had five carries and played 24 percent of snaps against Buffalo. Jeff Wilson Jr. had five carries for 26 yards in Week 1 but he also saw limited action last week with just 11 snaps.
While Miami led the league with 5.1 yards per carry last season, leaning too heavily on Achane may not be the solution to improving their current 3.7-yard average. He impressed as a rookie, recording 800 yards and eight touchdowns on just 103 carries, though injuries limited him to 11 games.
With Skylar Thompson taking over as quarterback against Seattle, Miami needs to run the football more than ever. The Seahawks allow an average of 142 rushing yards through two games — a prime opportunity to spread the workload in the backfield and ease the pressure on Achane.
