Dolphins' Raheem Mostert Fantasy Football Trade Value | Should You Trade Away Mostert before De'Von Achane Returns?

Almost exactly a month ago, I wrote about selling high on Miami Dolphins’ running back Raheem Mostert. A lot has changed in the Dolphins’ backfield, but Mostert is again a hot name in trade talks.

According to FantasySP’s predictive trades (which can be found under the Fantasy Assistant tool), Mostert has the highest Expected Trade Interest (ETI) at 18%.

Let’s take a guess as to why he’s trending in trade talks again while looking at some of the numbers he’s produced, an outlook of what’s to come and then finally helping you determine what to do with/for Mostert.

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Mostert’s Season So Far

Mostert has had a pretty wild season so far. He started fast, scoring seven touchdowns across the first three weeks of action, while piling up 240 rushing yards and 79 receiving yards.

It was during a four-touchdown performance in week 3 that the fantasy football world was introduced to De’Von Achane, which started to cast some doubt on what Mostert could do in the long run. It’s at that point when my last Mostert trade story came out.

Mostert produced just 45 total yards on 10 touches in week 4. Just when it looked like he might fade into a secondary role, Achane got injured in week 5, when Mostert tallied 78 total yards and a touchdown.

Back in the lead role in week 6, Mostert had another star performance, producing 132 total yards and three scores. 

Everybody was back on the Mostert hype train, but it came to a screeching halt when he produced just 51 total yards on 10 touches against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 7. Nobody was stealing his touches, but he only played 26 snaps. With Jeff Wilson working his way back from an injury and Achane nearing a return from injured reserve, fantasy owners are trying to sell Mostert before his value has dwindled.

One positive for Mostert owners is they still have some time to get a deal done, as Achane is going to miss two more weeks, and then the team is on its bye week, so Achane won’t play until at least week 11.

Dolphins’ Running Back Fantasy Outlook

With Achane out at least two more games, let’s focus on how the Dolphins will approach those contests.

Salvon Ahmed served as the top backup to Mostert last week, but that role could flip over to Wilson as soon as this coming weekend. I wouldn’t anticipate Wilson having his snaps and usage skyrocket in just his second game back, so I think Mostert’s starting job and lead role is safe for week 8, and probably week 9 too.

Miami will take on the New England Patriots this weekend before battling the Kansas City Chiefs in week 9. The Patriots are average against opposing running backs, while the Chiefs are closer to an elite unit.

After those two games pass, you can throw all the recent game’s snap counts and touches out the window, as having Achane back in the mix of things is a complete game changer. Achane might be eased back into things, but he can break a big play at any moment, so he might steal the stats away from his teammates while being on the field a fraction of the time.

What To Do With Mostert

I said it nearly a month ago, and I’ll say it again today, do whatever you can to trade Mostert now. I wouldnt trade for Mostert unless you can get him for cheap.

Sure, Mostert maybe puts together another solid outing or maybe two before Achane possibly returns, but after that, his value is going to be greatly affected in a negative way. He’s currently 15th in our player ratings and eighth among running backs, but those numbers will probably be at least doubled by the time the team’s bye week kicks in.

Do I expect you to get one of the running backs ranked near him in return? Probably not, unless someone has given up hope on Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, but getting something of value is better than nothing for a player who might be in a committee by this time next month.

So what might you seek in return for Mostert? Try obtaining a lead back who has simply been inconsistent, or injured, like Buffalo Bills’ James Cook, New York Jets’ Breece Hall or Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones. 

Maybe even those kinds of deals won’t work for Mostert. If you aren’t in desperate need for a starting quarterback, wide receiver or tight end, maybe you offset the uncertainty around Mostert by going after some depth pieces. Scroll down the player ratings and see if there’s maybe a lowly-ranked player or two that you like for the stretch run and try making that offer.

I do think Mostert has enough value for a deal like that, and will still have some kind of role when the entire backfield is back and fully healthy. Miami will find a way to get Mostert, Wilson and Achane on the field if they are producing, I’m just uncertain if any of them can consistently contribute solid fantasy scores to feel confident in starting them every week, so I’m cashing in on Mostert now, especially because a lot of his value is tied to touchdowns instead of yardage.

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