Will Rachaad White Be A Three-Down Back For The Buccaneers? Fantasy Football Outlook

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White was a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The former Sun Devil running back had a productive rookie season.

White ended the season with 129 rushing attempts for 481 yards and a touchdown. He also had 50 receptions on 58 targets for 290 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Furthermore, the former Sun Devil star was the RB38, averaging 6.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game.

More importantly, White stepped up for the Buccaneers when given an opportunity. Leonard Fournette missed the Week 12 matchup against the Cleveland Browns with an injury. White had 23 touches for 109 scrimmage yards and 15.4 fantasy points in that contest, ending the week as the RB15.

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Is Rachaad White The Starting Running Back?

Tampa Bay has undergone some changes this offseason. Tom Brady retired for the second time, while the team added Baker Mayfield to compete with Kyle Trask for the starting role. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers released Fournette.

Now that the veteran running back is off the roster, White will take over as the unquestioned starter. Behind him on the depth chart are Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

However, will the former Sun Devil star be the featured running back next year in Tampa Bay, or will the team add someone to split the backfield work?

Will Rachaad White Be A Three-Down Back For The Buccaneers?

The Buccaneers have nine picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, so fantasy players shouldn’t expect the team to draft a running back. However, it will likely be a Day 3 selection, as head coach Todd Bowles recently said he wants White to be the team’s three-down running back next season.

Last year, the former Sun Devil scored 25.9 fantasy points in the 1.5 games he played without Fournette. More importantly, the rookie running back was productive despite playing under 40% of the snaps.

White was 11th among running backs in receptions (50) and 12th in targets (58). Furthermore, he was second in catch rate (86.2%). Whether Mayfield or Trask starts next year, fantasy players should expect White to have a significant role on the ground and in the passing game.

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