Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White has been tied with some of the least productive running games in the NFL in the past couple of years. However, one NFL analyst believes White’s fantasy football production could boom in 2024.
Writing for Pro Football Focus, NFL analyst Jonathan Macri explained why he believed White to be a dark-horse choice this season.
“Tampa Bay’s offense has the pieces to potentially improve from last season, when the unit ranked below average in offensive scoring (20th), goal-line plays (32), and red-zone plays (137). That would be a big boost for White, who was the clear option for Tampa Bay in those scoring situations, handling 94% of goal-line snaps and 91% of red-zone snaps. White would stand to gain a lot from those high-value touches, especially as the bigger back compared to the sub-200-pound Irving,” he wrote.
Macri also noted that the Buccaneers did draft rookie running back Bucky Irving, but didn’t predict Irving to get much work in comparison to White.
White was taken by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Since getting drafted, White started his career slowly, but has shown some growth. The Buccaneers’ running back earned 481 yards and one touchdown in 2022, which was Tom Brady’s final season. Then, in 2023, he earned more than double that, totaling 990 yards and six touchdowns.
Rachaad White one jump away from morphing into a nationally known name
If White has another similar jump, he certainly will be a well-known name in the NFL this season.
Of course, at some point, the running back will hit a plateau. Prospective managers of White will hope that he hasn’t hit that peak just yet. If White has another similar bump in 2024 compared to his jump from 2022 to 2023, his floor could be around 1500 yards.
White is going well under the radar right now, so fantasy participants might have a shot at a massive steal. If they can get him in the third or fourth round after already nabbing one of the usual suspects, that manager might have a floor of making the playoffs.
Of course, it won’t be enough for the Buccaneers to lean into him. The team’s offense must be multi-dimensional, or White will go nowhere this season.
That said, Baker Mayfield has proven the ability to sling the rock with the team. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will be returning, as well. As such, this fits the criteria for a potential sleeper of the year at running back.
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