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Should I Draft James Conner or Rachaad White? Mike Fanelli analyzes NFL players with similar values, and tells you who to pick once you're on the clock in your fantasy football draft.
The 2023 regular season season is almost here. That means fantasy players have less than three days to complete all of their fantasy football drafts.
One of the toughest decisions fantasy players have to make every year is deciding between two similar options. Since fantasy players can’t possibly draft both guys, they must make the hard decision on which player to pick.
Today, we look at whether fantasy players should draft James Conner or Rachaad White.
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Should I Draft James Conner?
According to the RotoBaller ADP, Conner is a sixth-round pick in 12-team leagues and the 23rd running back off the board. Last year, the veteran running back was the RB20, averaging 13.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game.
He ended the season with 183 rushing attempts for 782 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Conner also had 46 receptions on 58 targets for 300 receiving yards and a touchdown in 13 games last season.
More importantly, the veteran running back averaged 21.3 touches and 17.9 fantasy points per game over his final seven games. Furthermore, he was the RB5 from Week 10 through Week 17, averaging more fantasy points per game than Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb.
Should I Draft Rachaad White?
According to the RotoBaller ADP, White is a sixth-round pick in 12-team leagues and the 21st running back off the board. The former Arizona State star became a popular fantasy pick earlier this offseason when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Leonard Fournette.
Instead of adding some to compete with White for the starting role, the Buccaneers only added Chase Edmonds and undrafted free agent Sean Tucker to the backfield. Therefore, the second-year running back will have an unchallenged featured role in 2023. Last year, he had 179 touches for 771 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.
However, the former Arizona State star struggled as a rookie. He was the RB38, averaging 6.7 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he lacked big play upside. White averaged only 3.7 yards per rushing attempt and 2.3 yards after contact per attempt, ranking second to last in both categories among running backs with at least 120 rushing attempts.
Who Should I Draft?
Both running backs are in a similar situation. They both are part of a limited offense held back by poor quarterback production. However, Conner showed he could succeed without Kyler Murray last year. He averaged 20.3 touches and 17.8 fantasy points per game in the four matchups without the star quarterback.
Meanwhile, how will White play without Tom Brady under center? Both running backs are solid draft options as your RB2, but Conner is the safer option.
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