Keagan Smith details his top De’Von Achane player prop for Dolphins vs. Bills on Thursday Night Football in NFL Week 3.
In primetime on Thursday Night Football, a pair of AFC East rivals match up in Buffalo, New York. The Bills (2-0) battle the Miami Dolphins (0-2) in a duel between a top contender and a team with playoff aspirations looking to salvage a poor start to the new season. With a massive difference between top talent on these two sides, the Dolphins will have to post a big night on offense to keep up, which means running back De’Von Achane should see plenty of work both on the ground and through the air.
Here are the best De’Von Achane prop bets to consider for Dolphins at Bills on Thursday Night Football in Week 3.
Best De’Von Achane prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
The Dolphins lost both of their first two games to start the season, with the first coming on the road 33-8 to the Colts and the second loss a 33-27 disappointment against the Patriots. With head coach Mike McDaniel’s job potentially on the line and wideout Tyreek Hill possibly dissatisfied with how things are going, there’s much at stake for Miami this year. The poor start doesn’t spark confidence, nor does a matchup against a contender like the Bills. However, there’s still room for De’Von Achane to produce big numbers on the stat sheet in Week 3.
The third-year running back has emerged as the most important cog in the Dolphins’ offense over the last year. Last season, he tallied 1,499 scrimmage yards with 12 total touchdowns while making an impact as both a runner and a receiver. Achane started to soak up targets in the passing game and saw 87 looks over the course of the campaign, and it appears he’s once again a focal point of the passing attack. Through two weeks, his 14 targets are the most of any player on Miami’s roster — yes, even more than wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Achane has also handled 18 carries, 14 more than the next-closest runner. That workload qualifies him as one of the NFL’s few true bell-cow backs, and with 197 scrimmage yards and two scores so far, he’s making the most of his opportunities.
In recent years, the Bills’ defense largely performs well. While the team ranks first against the pass right now with just 124 yards allowed through the air per game, they also rank 31st against the run with an average of 169 rush yards allowed through two weeks. With defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebacker Matt Milano both out, Buffalo may wind up susceptible to the ground game in Week 3. That’s something Achane can take advantage of, even while running behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines.
With the amount of work the young halfback sees, I feel inclined to take Achane to record 110+ combined rushing and receiving yards. The Bills’ front seven will miss two of their top starters and may struggle to contain the run once again, and all it takes is one big play for the running back to knock out a large portion of this tally. While the rushing work may decrease as the Dolphins fall behind on the scoreboard, Achane should still garner six or more targets in the receiving game to help him reach this tally. Against a quality pass rush, Tua Tagovailoa must get the ball out quickly, meaning Achane could also see even more opportunities as a checkdown option as well. With his blend of speed and quickness, those could easily turn into a big gain or two and help the young star get over this prop line.
Best Bet: De’Von Achane 110+ combined rushing + receiving yards (+132)
