Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White had a chance to reclaim his starting job after it was presumptively taken by his former backup, Alexander Mattison. White emphatically did not do that, carrying the ball just two times for negative-one yard. The job appears to be taken away from him.
It's not like Mattison did much, though. He averaged just 1.1 yards per carry, and most of his fantasy value came from catching passes. That doesn't give White managers much solace, though. He's been one of the biggest busts in fantasy football in recent years after he was hyped up to be a sneaky RB2.
So should you drop White in fantasy football ahead of Week 9?
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Should I Drop Zamir White in Fantasy Football?
Yes, and you could've probably done it weeks ago. He is just not the player he was billed to be. Failing to gain positive yardage in a game after losing your job to your backup is essentially a death sentence for fantasy production. He's also on a losing team with a dismal offense.
49 players have 50+ carries so far this season. Here are the bottom 2 in yards/carry:
48th. Alexander Mattison 3.19
49th. Zamir White 3.04#Raiders— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 28, 2024
It's very, very bad. Las Vegas seems like a team headed for a top-5 draft selection when 2025 rolls around. There isn't much talent anywhere on the roster, and the passing attack isn't likely to improve massively, which would at least open up some holes for the running game to improve.
The Kansas City Chiefs epic goal-line stand against the Raiders should tell you everything you need to know about White -- there aren't any glimmers of hope left because he's not a pass-catching back.
Who Should I Pickup in Week 9 Fantasy Football?
While literally anyone else would probably be an upgrade over White, considering that if the player was truly terrible you'd never need to start him and lose matchups, there are at least some options at running back on the waiver wire.
San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo had another strong game, and is a nice speculative pickup, but with lead back Christian McCaffrey set to return in Week 10 after a Week 9 bye, and RB Jordan Mason (shoulder) apparently still in the backup slot, he only has an outside shot for decent production.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin, who plays for the Denver Broncos, actually had a strong game in Week 8 as well, scoring 12.6 PPR fantasy points. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry and scored a receiving touchdown in the win over the Carolina Panthers. He's a fine bench stash for now.
Bo Nix gets his 4th TD of the game when he finds Jaleel McLaughlin who takes it in for the score 💪pic.twitter.com/B6pAo1O2Rb
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) October 27, 2024
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