Tomorrow’s Dynasty Star Today: Jaylen Wright
If you drafted Puka Nacua in the fourth round of your rookie draft in 2023, you know how important it can be to buy low on a young player before they explode. Not every player will turn out to be Puka – after all, he’s statistically the greatest rookie wide receiver of all time. But one of the smartest strategies to be a successful dynasty player is to identify young talent ready to rise in value in the future. This series will suggest ideas for players primed for a breakout later down the line.
Jaylen Wright, RB MIA
The 2024 NFL draft saw a very strange group of running back selections. Whereas teams normally like to form a complementary backfield of different skill sets, many teams decided to go the other way in this draft class. The Rams drafted Blake Corum who is an identical prospect to Kyren Williams, the Buccaneers added pass catcher Bucky Irving to pass catcher Rachaad White, and the Cardinals added the physical bruiser Trey Benson to a backfield led by James Conner. It didn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
However, when the Miami Dolphins drafted Jaylen Wright out of Tennessee in the fourth round, it made a lot more sense than the teams listed above, even though Wright is a similar back to De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. That’s because the Dolphins have put together their entire offense around one thing – speed. Wright’s 4.38 40 at 210lbs was one of the quickest at the RB position and he absolutely showed that on tape at college. Wright was a big play machine, creating an explosive play on 25.4% of his carries in 2023! In an offense built around explosivity, timing, and speed, Wright felt a perfect fit.
Situation
The only problem for Jaylen Wright was that the running backs on the Dolphins that he profiled so similarly to are still on the roster – and still thriving. De’Von Achane looks like he could finish as the RB1 (or could have if Tua had stayed healthy) and Raheem Mostert doesn’t seem like he’s fading, despite being 32. This depth chart issue has led to Wright currently sitting as the RB74 on the season, with only one game where he saw more than ten rushing attempts, which was when Achane was injured. Wright has only seen one target on the season so far, and has only finished inside the top 40 of the RBs once in 2024.
However, we knew that this would likely be the case in 2024. The depth chart for Miami is loaded and it was going to be hard for Wright to get work early on. But the best thing about this situation is twofold – the Dolphins can move on from Mostert for just $1m in dead cap at the end of this season, and Wright is only 21. This offense can absolutely support two running backs – you just have to look in 2023, when Mostert was the PPG RB4 and Achane the PPG RB5. In 2025, I anticipate Jaylen Wright to be the RB2 in Miami, which gives him incredible standalone value. On top of this, Achane has had injury troubles in the past, missing seven games in 2023. In 2025, if Achane misses time, Jaylen Wright has the potential to be an RB1. He’s a big play threat every time he touches the ball and is playing in an offense that truly caters to his strength. Despite a limited workload in 2024, Jaylen Wright is still PFF’s 4th highest-graded running back. The talent is clearly there already – the opportunity just hasn’t been yet, but it’s coming.
Value
Wright is currently DLF’s consensus RB47, behind players like Roschon Johnson and Tyler Allgeier. From a redraft perspective, this makes sense, as he’s grouped in with other backups and players who are an injury away from having a true role. From a dynasty perspective, I don’t believe those players ahead of Jaylen Wright have the same upside as him going into 2025.
Some recent trades for him are available below:
Per current value, Wright would be available for a mid second. There’s unlikely to be a player available at that range in the 2025 rookie class that has the same upside as Jaylen Wright does – on an offense that is already a perfect fit for his skill set.
Conclusion
Jaylen Wright is unlikely to contribute anything in 2024 unless Achane or Mostert get injured. That feels disappointing, but it’s what the Dolphins wanted for this year. The plan for Wright was always to replace Mostert in 2025 and if you can buy him while he’s not contributing, you’ll have him ready to in 2025 and beyond when he’s dominating.
Thanks for reading – you can find me at @FF_Pancake to tell me your thoughts on Wright in 2024 and beyond.
You can hear more from Lewis on his YouTube channel 'Fantasy Pancake' https://youtube.com/@fantasypancake?si=U7BLlUCqY38dTsEv
- 2025 NFL Draft: Late-Round Rookie Lottery Tickets - May 3, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day Three - April 26, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day Two - April 25, 2025
If you drafted Puka Nacua in the fourth round of your rookie draft in 2023, you know how important it can be to buy low on a young player before they explode. Not every player will turn out to be Puka – after all, he’s statistically the greatest rookie wide receiver of all time. But one of the smartest strategies to be a successful dynasty player is to identify young talent ready to rise in value in the future. This series will suggest ideas for players primed for a breakout later down the line.
Jaylen Wright, RB MIA
The 2024 NFL draft saw a very strange group of running back selections. Whereas teams normally like to form a complementary backfield of different skill sets, many teams decided to go the other way in this draft class. The Rams drafted Blake Corum who is an identical prospect to Kyren Williams, the Buccaneers added pass catcher Bucky Irving to pass catcher Rachaad White, and the Cardinals added the physical bruiser Trey Benson to a backfield led by James Conner. It didn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
However, when the Miami Dolphins drafted Jaylen Wright out of Tennessee in the fourth round, it made a lot more sense than the teams listed above, even though Wright is a similar back to De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. That’s because the Dolphins have put together their entire offense around one thing – speed. Wright’s 4.38 40 at 210lbs was one of the quickest at the RB position and he absolutely showed that on tape at college. Wright was a big play machine, creating an explosive play on 25.4% of his carries in 2023! In an offense built around explosivity, timing, and speed, Wright felt a perfect fit.
Situation
The only problem for Jaylen Wright was that the running backs on the Dolphins that he profiled so similarly to are still on the roster – and still thriving. De’Von Achane looks like he could finish as the RB1 (or could have if Tua had stayed healthy) and Raheem Mostert doesn’t seem like he’s fading, despite being 32. This depth chart issue has led to Wright currently sitting as the RB74 on the season, with only one game where he saw more than ten rushing attempts, which was when Achane was injured. Wright has only seen one target on the season so far, and has only finished inside the top 40 of the RBs once in 2024.
However, we knew that this would likely be the case in 2024. The depth chart for Miami is loaded and it was going to be hard for Wright to get work early on. But the best thing about this situation is twofold – the Dolphins can move on from Mostert for just $1m in dead cap at the end of this season, and Wright is only 21. This offense can absolutely support two running backs – you just have to look in 2023, when Mostert was the PPG RB4 and Achane the PPG RB5. In 2025, I anticipate Jaylen Wright to be the RB2 in Miami, which gives him incredible standalone value. On top of this, Achane has had injury troubles in the past, missing seven games in 2023. In 2025, if Achane misses time, Jaylen Wright has the potential to be an RB1. He’s a big play threat every time he touches the ball and is playing in an offense that truly caters to his strength. Despite a limited workload in 2024, Jaylen Wright is still PFF’s 4th highest-graded running back. The talent is clearly there already – the opportunity just hasn’t been yet, but it’s coming.
Value
Wright is currently DLF’s consensus RB47, behind players like Roschon Johnson and Tyler Allgeier. From a redraft perspective, this makes sense, as he’s grouped in with other backups and players who are an injury away from having a true role. From a dynasty perspective, I don’t believe those players ahead of Jaylen Wright have the same upside as him going into 2025.
Some recent trades for him are available below:
Per current value, Wright would be available for a mid second. There’s unlikely to be a player available at that range in the 2025 rookie class that has the same upside as Jaylen Wright does – on an offense that is already a perfect fit for his skill set.
Conclusion
Jaylen Wright is unlikely to contribute anything in 2024 unless Achane or Mostert get injured. That feels disappointing, but it’s what the Dolphins wanted for this year. The plan for Wright was always to replace Mostert in 2025 and if you can buy him while he’s not contributing, you’ll have him ready to in 2025 and beyond when he’s dominating.
Thanks for reading – you can find me at @FF_Pancake to tell me your thoughts on Wright in 2024 and beyond.
You can hear more from Lewis on his YouTube channel 'Fantasy Pancake' https://youtube.com/@fantasypancake?si=U7BLlUCqY38dTsEv
- 2025 NFL Draft: Late-Round Rookie Lottery Tickets - May 3, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day Three - April 26, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day Two - April 25, 2025
