Will Malik Willis and Bobby Slowik kill De'Von Achane's receiving production in 2026?

Player mentions

Article text

Saw this quote from the Fantasy Football Today podcast: "I think his targets are going to go down by 20%, if not more. Then we're talking about a running back that, if things are okay, can still get you 16 PPR points per game. 85 targets, 67 catches, almost 500 yards receiving last year — 43% of his total PPR points came through the air. If that drops because Willis doesn't check down, because the play caller doesn't call plays designed to Achane, because Achane maybe doesn't play as much — oh boy, we could be looking at a disappointing year from him." Obviously not a great take for Achane. But also not going to panic over one take. So I tried to look at it from both sides. Bull case for Achane's receiving work: He's by far the best offensive player on the team. The offense should go through him out of necessity. Achane lined up in the slot 106 times last year and had 42 snaps on the outside. For comparison, CMC lined up in the slot 93 times, Bijan 98. This should help mitigate some of the "Malik Willis doesn't check down" concerns. Achane runs a full route tree. He's not just a checkdown option. Bobby Slowik was promoted to OC from within so there is at least some continuity there. Bear case for Achane's receiving work: Achane's career splits with and without Tua: With Tua = 36 games, 5.3 targets, 4.3 rec, 32.7 rec yards Without Tua = 8 games, 2.5 targets, 2.1 rec, 12.5 rec yards Malik Willis historically does not check down. He takes off and runs. The Dolphins are most likely going to be tanking. As they fall out of contention, why give him a full workload if they're playing for draft position? There are concerns that the offense will not play as fast with Slowik at OC. Less plays, less passes. Probably more stalled out drives too. Which side do you think has the stronger case? Anything missing? submitted by /u/mochajoesdynsaty [link] [comments]