Welcome to The BRoto "Everything You Need to Know About" series. Throughout the offseason, we will deep-dive into players for the 2022 NFL season and examine the good, the bad, and everything in between.
SUBJECT: Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
THE GOOD:
Selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rookie Running Back Rachaad White steps into a situation which positions him to be the second running back and primary receiving back for a contending team. While incumbent starter RB Leonard Fournette has shown flashes of pass-catching chops in recent seasons with the Buccaneers and Jaguars, White brings a level of receiving skills to the backfield that current quarterback Tom Brady hasn’t had since he was paired with RB James White in New England.
An older rookie at 23.5 years of age, Rachaad White was a late bloomer in college, spending time with two different Division II colleges before transferring to Arizona State University in 2020. Despite the negative connotations surrounding the competition level in the PAC-12, White flourished, amassing over 2,000 total yards and 22 touchdowns in just 15 games.
Scouts were specifically pleased with the receiving prowess displayed by White, who’s 43 receptions and 456 yards were both second on the team in 2021. Another testament to this receiving talent comes from Broto’s own Matt Ward, who writes that “since 2013, only two running backs have been drafted in the NFL who recorded a collegiate season with over 45% of their team’s rushing touchdowns and a 24% market share of receptions: Christian McCaffrey and Rachaad White.” Since being drafted in 2017, McCaffrey has blossomed into one of the greatest receivers out of the backfield the NFL has ever seen, which leaves White in some elite company.
When looking through the BRoto Player Comparisons, we find another former talent sharing the closest similarity to White, that being former Cowboy and Titan Demarco Murray, who had a very successful career all around. Once again, some nice company to be in for a rookie. White has the size and skillset to succeed at the next level.
It is clear that Rachaad White is talented, but will only be number two on the depth chart at best. There is one factor, however, that can turn a nice streamable PPR play into a possible league-winning asset: Leonard Fournette’s health.
In Fournette’s five seasons in the NFL, the bruising back has never played a full season. Aside from his 2019 season with the Jaguars, Fournette has missed three or more games in every other season of his career, including an injury that derailed a great fantasy campaign last season. Assuming White can beat out the rest of the RB field to become the top handcuff (more on that later), we can assume to see a handful of weeks this season where White takes on a bell-cow role. If this comes to pass, White very well could net fantasy managers a few weeks of top-12 running back play.
THE BAD:
The biggest question surrounding White’s 2022 season revolves around the aforementioned Fournette. Last season, Fournette led the team in all three major statistical categories for rushers, with 180 attempts, 812 yards, and eight touchdowns through 14 games. He also finished top-five on the roster in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, showing once again that he has more recently shown flashes of talent as a receiver. With White likely eyeing the role of the team’s third-down back for any substantial usage, he will need to supplant Fournette in these categories to produce.
Additionally, with limited high-leve college experience (just 15 games), White will need to prove that his play was more than a fluke. Though he clearly was seen as the leader of the ASU offense, only time will tell if the small sample of work in a small conference will bear any fruit at the NFL level. There is no doubt White can play, but it remains to be seen if he will blossom into a starting-caliber back or will spend his entire career in that third-down role.
SUPPORTING CAST:
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The Buccaneers will look to roll out Fournette as the lead back once again in 2022, though the loss of backup RB Ronald Jones II certainly will free up work for another back. With that being said, White will have to earn that work, with 2020 third-round RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn and former receiving star RB Giovanni Bernard to contend with. Assuming White can put it all together, though, there should be little doubt that he will be able to beat the pair out and work exclusively as the primary backup to Fournette.
Returning at QB is Tom Brady, who made third-down receiving specialist James White into a weekly play when they played together. As Broto Lead Data Analyst Santiago Cassanova points out in his study on where targets originate “Coach/QB combinations influence RB targets the most.” This is great news for the White as receiving RBs in Brady offenses have thrived for years.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK:
Any offense led by Brady will be successful. I will continue to say this until he proves me wrong and his age finally catches up, as the 45-year old quarterback continues to churn out massive seasons year-in and year-out. WR Mike Evans, on-the-mend WR Chris Godwin, and the newly acquired WR Julio Jones round out the wide-receiver stable. Once again, the team is poised to field an elite offensive unit that should produce multiple fantasy contributors, though it remains to be seen what role White achieves.
ADP REVIEW:
Rachaad White is arguably the biggest steal of the 2022 Fantasy Football season. With his current ADP sitting around the tenth round in fantasy drafts as nearly the RB50 overall, White could make a huge splash for those willing to invest in an elite handcuff with potential to see multiple top-12 weeks this year. Though he doesn’t come without risk, the reward at this point in drafts should be well worth the selection. Scoop him up now and stash him for some big weeks.
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By Trenton Roberts