Rachaad White Is Poised For A MONSTER Season
When doing some fantasy football research for the upcoming season, I was surprised to see Buccaneers Runningback Rachaad White being drafted with an average draft position (ADP) of the 13th RB off the board behind the likes of Josh Jacobs, Isiah Pacheco, and De'Von Achane.
Some of those backs have big potential. Jacobs led the league in rushing two seasons ago with the Raiders, but now is the starter for a Green Bay team that has been notorious for backfield timeshares under Matt LaFleur. Isiah Pacheco is likely that high due to the fact the Chiefs haven't yet re-signed Jerick McKinnon and the 3rd down role appears up in the air. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is there and McKinnon. Even if Pacheco is the 3rd down back, he averages 5.5 yards per reception which shows he's more of a checkdown option that a dangerous receiver. De'Von Achane is an incredible talent but do you really want to invest early round capital in a guy who missed six games last season?
White is a terrific two way RB that gets great volume. He finished 10 rushing yards shy of 1,000 yards last season on 272 carries and also had 64 catches on 70 targets for 549 yards. His hands are outstanding and he's on the sidelines warming up with one handed catches quite frequently. When he gets the ball in space he's big enough to run you over and slick enough to make you miss.
The Buccaneers did draft RB Bucky Irving in the 4th Round this year and he's got some pass catching ability too. But he's 192 lbs. Can he stand in pass pro when needed like this?
White finished as RB7 last year in half point PPR. There is no reason to think why he won't do that again if not better, especially when you consider the coaching changes.
Last year's Bucs Offensive Coordinator, Dave Canales is gone. He's in Carolina and he brought the Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin with him. But with that regime, the Bucs struggled to run the ball. They had fairly predictable tendencies and part of the new OC search was creativity in the run game. That's shown in the preseason as the Bucs have been doing a fantastic job moving the line of scrimmage and running the football. I think Rachaad White has a monster season and don't be surprised is RB7 is conservative.
Check out the latest Fantasy Football Factory as we preview the rest of the Runningback position here: