1.10 Draft Strategy For Fantasy Football 2025: De'Von Achane Is The Key Pick

Eddie Murphy should be on everyone’s Mt. Rushmore of Comedy.

In his iconic stand-up comedy special Eddie Murphy: Delirious, Murphy does a bit on his mom’s cooking. He wanted McDonald’s, the then-gold standard of any kid’s diet, but his mother promised him something better. The result was a sandwich resembling a cheeseburger, which made him the laughingstock of the neighborhood. However, ultimately, Eddie was able to find the value in the home-cooked meal.

The 1.10 is your homemade dish—check out the article on 1.09 here. You can’t have CeeDee Lamb, but that’s OK. We’ve got Malik Nabers at home. The late position forces you to look for the discount versions of the players you can’t draft. And by doing so, you’ll find the “big, welfare, green-pepper burger” is just as good as McDonald’s.

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The 1.10 Debate For 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts

You’re going to miss out on the top RB options at the 10-overall pick. There’s nothing you can do about it. It is what it is. From Bijan Robinson to Ashton Jeanty, you have to sit there and watch each workhorse rusher fly off the board. But let’s contextualize their usage.

• Rushing: handled at least 50.0% of their team’s rushing attempts

  • Jahmyr Gibbs is the only RB below 50.0% from the previous season

• Receiving: earned at least 10.0% of their team’s targets
• Bonus: primary goal-line/short-yard role or top-10 explosive play rate

In other words, these guys will usually be on the field as either a runner or a receiver. And when they are, just wait for the big plays. Consequently, their production makes them unattainable for you. Well, at least those specific guys won’t be available. But someone with a similar profile will be.

De'Von Achane, like the rest of the Dolphins’ skill players, had a chaotic 2024. Injuries, the Skylar Thompson experience, and bad vibes derailed what should have been a normal year. Achane’s RB5 finish didn’t go unnoticed, though. His consensus RB5 ADP shows fantasy managers haven’t forgotten about him. However, the state of the Dolphins’ offense may have taken away from Achane’s workload with Tua Tagovailoa healthy.

• Rushing Share: 54.0%
• Target Share: 18.0%
• i5 Rushing Share: 75.0%

For reference, Bijan Robinson handled only 67.0% of the carries from inside the 5-yard line for the Falcons. Christian McCaffrey was just a percentage point ahead of Achane in target share (19.0%). And McCaffrey played only three full games! Regardless, we’ve found our homemade dish.

Achane won’t have Raheem Mostert to contend with for red-zone carries (despite what Tyreek Hill has to say on the matter). Jonnu Smith is up in Pittsburgh, freeing up more targets. Achane has a path to volume commensurate with the other high-end options. So, let’s build around him.

• Multiverse 1: De’Von Achane, Hero RB
• Multiverse 2: De’Von Achane, Balanced
• Multiverse 3: De’Von Achane, Robust

If we (yes, I’m roping you into this logic train) are going to value Achane like the high-end rushers, we should be able to apply the same draft strategies. Sure, the names will change. However, critically, the process for building your team should remain the same. 

The Rest of the Early Rounds

Goal of the first round: collect as many starters (at RB or WR) as possible. But it’s not always so simple. The added complexity for the 1.10 is the perceived lack of time. You’ll find yourself back on the clock in a flash as the draft whips around the turn. It’ll be even worse if you come in wanting to start with a balanced roster and your leaguemates push you in another direction.

Again, I prepared to build using a Robust RB or Balanced approach. I could tack on a second RB at the 2.03 without any issue. Luckily, if you’re using our tiers, a Plan B at WR will present itself.

Tiers are like buckets of players based on archetype or projected production. Drafting one is like taking any of the others. In this case, landing Brian Thomas (with the other four on other teams) gives me at least one WR with the same range of outcomes. And as the draft progresses, monitor each grouping and grab a player at cost to keep building your roster. However, you should make at least one detour for a QB or TE.

I’ve mentioned the concept of opportunity cost before. By taking a skill player at a onesie spot, you’re sacrificing a pick that could go to an RB or WR (i.e., the positions we start more players at each week). But I get it. There are only a few worth drafting. The rest seem like a gamble. However, instead of throwing some numbers at you, let’s look at the ADPs.

• Trey McBride (26.1 Consensus ADP): Tee Higgins (28.5), Chase Brown (32.1)
• George Kittle (35.9 Consensus ADP): Jaxon Smith-Njigba (38.8), Kenneth Walker (43.0)

I’m sure the prices will shift depending on your specific platform and league tendencies, but you get the idea. If you want Trey McBride, you’re less likely to land Chase Brown (our projected RB12 in PPR formats). Instead, Omarion Hampton (RB22) might be the next viable RB. You can apply the same exercise to early-round QBs, allowing you to work through the early rounds without hesitation.

Team 2 has the strongest core after six picks. TE is the only glaring hole. Meanwhile, Teams 1 and 3 could use more starters and depth everywhere. However, with a focus on roster assessment, we can right the ship on both rosters in the middle rounds.

Mid-Round Approach

Let’s assess the rosters for the Hero RB and Robust RB approaches.

• Need a QB
• Team 1 needs starters and depth at RB
• Team 3 needs rotational starters at WR and depth at RB

We outline a plan for drafting RBs and WRs earlier via tiers. Luckily, by using 2024 as a proxy, the impact of missing a player isn’t as severe.

Value starts to flatten out in the middle rounds as uncertainty grows. Yes, Jaylen Warren could have a breakout campaign in Pittsburgh. But his role behind Kaleb Johnson in an offense piloted by Aaron Rodgers diminishes the likelihood of seeing Warren in the Top 24 by season’s end. Chris Olave, despite having a WR1 workload, will be catching balls from Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler. However, I used one of our other tools to remove some hesitancy about my need at QB.

Using the schedule to identify potential streaming QBs to start the season can uncover hidden gems. Of course, Trevor Lawrence hasn’t lived up to expectations. But he has Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter on either side of the formation. Plus, HC Liam Cohen was a progressive playcaller throughout his time in Tampa. Regardless, Lawrence’s draft price has little impact on my roster. With a 12th-round (or later) ADP, I can set up all of my starters and bench spots just to drop him in for a couple of weeks at QB.

Team 3 caught back up in the end. A starting trio of Tyreek Hill, Terry McLaurin, and George Pickens does carry some volatility. But Rome Odunze and Emeka Egbuka should be on the the field, offering complementary value if any of my starters falter. The Jaguars’ offense bears monitoring, too. But at his cost, I’ll be able to replace him on the waiver wire without affecting the rest of my team.

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