At 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds, Achane is relatively small compared to the majority of NFL running backs, which could limit his value in standard leagues.
Fantasy managers should also be aware that Achane ran for just 286 yards in six games without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa last season, and 621 yards with the oft-injured quarterback.
Still, in PPR formats, Achane is a must-have player. Last year, he led all running backs in receptions (78) and receiving yards (592) and tied Tampa Bay’s Rachaad White for the league lead with six receiving touchdowns from a running back.
WR A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles
On the one hand, Brown finished 2024 with 1,079 yards, his fifth 1,000-yard season in six years. On the other hand, a second straight seven-score season made him WR20 in fantasy football, a far cry from the WR5 position he held in 2023.
For all his team’s success, the defending Super Bowl champions averaged 187.9 yards through the air last year, the fourth-lowest number in the league. More importantly, Kevin Patullo, Philadelphia’s passing game coordinator for the past four seasons, will take over for Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator in 2025.
All things considered, with an ADP of 20.7 Brown has too much upside to ignore, but if the Eagles plan to stick with a run-heavy scheme this season, Brown’s numbers could drop even further.
WR Stefon Diggs | New England Patriots
The once-proud Patriots have been fantasy poison since the departure of quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, but if healthy, Diggs could give New England a receiving threat they haven’t had since Julian Edelman retired in 2021.
Diggs missed nine games with a torn ACL with the Texans last season, but posted six straight 1,000-yard seasons, including a league-best 1,535 yards in 2020, prior to the injury. He also finished 2023 as the ninth-leading receiver in fantasy football.
Per Paul Perillo of the Patriots’ official site, Diggs had no restrictions for Wednesday’s opening training camp practice and led every position drill for his fellow wideouts. On a team with limited offensive weapons, Diggs could be a game-changer for fantasy rosters.
RB Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco 49ers
Like Diggs, McCaffrey is among the best at his position when healthy, something he wasn’t in 2024. Injuries limited the 29-year-old running back to four games last season, his fewest since making three appearances with Carolina in 2020.
He missed just one game in 2023 and finished as fantasy football’s leading rusher with the third-most points of any player regardless of position. McCaffrey was a full participant in OTAs, but most expect the team to limit him during the preseason.
With wide receiver Deebo Samuel now with the Commanders and Brandon Aiyuk on the PUP list, McCaffrey has tremendous upside in PPR formats, but carries a substantially more risk than other first-round options.
