Summary of Jaylen Wright to the Dolphins Fantasy Impact:
-The Miami Dolphins drafted Jaylen Wright in Round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft at Pick 120. They traded their 2025 third-round pick to acquire him.
-In Miami, Jaylen Wright landed in the perfect spot for his dynasty fantasy outlook. He should have a chance to crush it in 2024 Redraft and Best Ball by midseason, too.
-Wright has the speed and elusiveness to thrive within Mike McDaniels’ scheme whenever he gets the chance, both as a runner and pass-catcher.
Introduction: Miami Trades Up to Select Jaylen Wright, a Perfect Fit
The Miami Dolphins rolled out one of the top rushing attacks in the entire NFL last season. De’Von Achane flashed otherworldly speed and game-breaking abilities. Meanwhile, Raheem Mostert led the NFL with 18 rushing TDs (21 total), earning himself a healthy two-year extension. Mostert and Achane finished as the PPR RB3 and RB4 in FPPG respectively.
Even still, the Dolphins drafted Jaylen Wright in the 2024 NFL Draft at Pick 120. In fact, they even traded their 2025 third-round pick to move back into Round 4 to acquire him. Why would they give up such valuable capital at a position they were seemingly set at?
Simply put: because Wright is a glove-like fit for HC Mike McDaniels‘ offense. The results should be fantasy goodness for a long time, making Wright’s dynasty outlook among the best in this RB class. Yet, he should not be forgotten in 2024 Redraft or Best Ball Fantasy, either. Whenever he gets the chance, Wright is going to blow up.
Here’s why:
Who is Jaylen Wright? Elite Explosion and Playmaking Ability
Jaylen Wright epitomizes speed and explosiveness, ranking in the 95th percentile or higher for 40-yard dash, speed score, and burst score via PlayerProfiler. Wright graded out similarly highly within Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS), ranking 37th of 1903 RBs since 1987:
According to Austin Abbott, Wright timed faster in the first five yards of his 40-yard dash (15.16 mph) than De’Von Achane’s (14.94 mph)– any shocker the Dolphins came calling? That is absurdly fast acceleration.
Wright’s not just timed speed, either. The explosiveness absolutely pops on the tape and in games. A whopping 26% (30 total) of his rushes went for 10+ yards, while 19 runs went for 15+. He topped over 1,000 yards on just 137 carries–insane! This equated to a whopping 7.4 YPC, with an equally impressive 4.53 yards coming after contact.
Wright’s also highly capable, and likely untapped, as a pass-catcher, too. He only notched 22 receptions his senior year, but was a natural hands-catcher, and smooth route runner.
No, Wright’s not perfect. He had some fumbling issues, was indecisive on inside runs, and isn’t the best pass protector (although he had impressive flashes). He also leaves himself open for big hits with an upright running style.
Still, once he has a crease, Wright is gone. This is absolutely perfect, considering he’s a natural fit inside a Dolphins offense that specializes in creating space for their backs.
Landing Spot: Miami Dolphins Backfield is A+ for Jaylen Wright’s Skillset
As mentioned, both Mostert (RB3) and Achane (RB4) finished Top-5 in FPPG in 2023. Sure, both players have special speed, but the Dolphins’ backfield is the PERFECT spot to maximize it.
Mike McDaniels was previously Kyle Shanahan‘s run-game coordinator. Anyone who watches football knows Shanahan and McDaniels are the architects of the most gorgeous zone-blocking scheme in the game, carrying on Mike Shanahan‘s legacy with pride.
In a nutshell, the zone scheme is all about athletic linemen, moving in unison, to areas or “zones” on the field. When done well, this opens up enormous lanes, whether with the flow of the play, or via “cutback” opportunities against the grain if the defense overpursues.
When these lanes open up, backs with strong acceleration will knife through defenses, gashing them for huge gains routinely. This is especially true in the outside-zone game, when a back with speed is off to the races before the defense knows what hit them.
Remember, acceleration is Wright’s calling card. He will need to improve his vision on inside runs, but the outside-zone should butter his fantasy bread for years to come.
Beyond the beautiful run game, McDaniels also thrives at using his backs in the passing game. He dials up beautiful screens, getting his backs in space with blockers. McDaniels also utilizes wheel routes and more creative concepts, too.
To illustrate how the run and pass game create space for the RBs, look no further than Achane’s NFL Debut, a 233, 4 TD monster:
Unsurprisingly, the Dolphins were among the most productive team backfields in 2023. Per game, Miami averaged 137.5 rush yards (5th) & 1.5 rush TDs (3rd), and almost 30 RB FPs per game.
The dominance was consistent, too. Between Mostert and Achane, the Dolphins produced at least one 20+ FP RB in 11-of-17 weeks.
This may suggest the only downside of the landing spot: the Dolphins have quite a crowded backfield. Regarding immediate value, Wright will likely be limited behind Achane and Mostert while he learns the NFL ropes. Expecting usable value in the first half of 2024 may be ambitious.
Still, Mostert is 32. Yes, he has lighter tread on his tires than most backs his age, and he’s remained mostly healthy across the past two seasons. Yet, prior to 2022, Mostert missed 23-of-32 games from 2020 to 2021.
Meanwhile, Achane was limited to just 10 real games in 2023. The sample size is small, and Achane was a true bellcow in college, but he is just 5’9″, 188 lbs.
Plus, in his post-draft presser, McDaniels’ suggested all RBs, including Wright, will get an opportunity:
“I think all players benefit,” coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Saturday. “There’s supreme urgency to do right with the ball if you deserve to have it. Yeah, the competition is fierce. I’m fired up because we have a group of competitors that will satisfy the thirst for them. It will be fierce. Depth comes into question each and every year, so you’re always looking for a full roster.”
Thus, whether injury or performance-related, Wright feels likely to make his presence felt at some point in his rookie season. And, when Miami RBs do so, their presence is really felt in fantasy.
Jaylen Wright Fantasy Outlook: Dynasty, 2024 Redraft, Best Ball
Any time an offensive genius trades up to grab a player who fits his scheme, I take notice. Perhaps no one has proven better at scheming up speed, and identifying the right players to fit his offense, than McDaniels.
Thus, I love Wright across all fantasy football formats, but especially in Dynasty. By 2025, I see Wright taking over 40%+ of this invaluable backfield pie, with an outside shot to be the Dolphins’ carries leader as a sophomore. Very few RBs are in situations that routinely generate 25+ FPs upside, especially those that fall to late Round 2 of Rookie Drafts. He is my clear-cut RB3 in Dynasty Rookie Rankings, behind only Jonathan Brooks and Trey Benson.
This doesn’t mean I’m avoiding Wright in seasonal formats, though. On the contrary, I’m aggressively targeting Wright in early Best Ball Drafts. We know this backfield will produce fantasy monsters nearly every week, so why not target the cheapest option?
That worked out well with Achane last year. At their prices, I still like Achane (~25 ADP) and Mostert (~85 ADP), but I LOVE Wright (140 ADP) going 5+ rounds later than Mostert. I have Wright ranked at 120 in my 2024 Best Ball Rankings, +21 spots on his current ADP. Though he may not make an immediate impact, Wright strikes me as a player who grows into a much larger second-half role and becomes a key catapult to many stretch runs in Best Ball Tournaments.
Depending on league size and bench space, I also love drafting-and-stashing Wright even in 2024 redraft fantasy leagues (+42 spots on my 2024 Fantasy Football Big Board for Redraft).
Wright’s path might not be clear in early 2024, but I don’t see any other RBs going beyond Pick 100 with the same 25+ FP upside of Wright. By 2025, I expect those strong weekly performances to be more regular occurrences. This is the perfect mix of skillset (speed and acceleration) and landing spot (genius offensive playcaller that LOVES speed in space), one that should create fantasy dynamite as soon as the spark is provided.
