Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is dealing with a foot injury, which could force him to miss Monday night’s game vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Let’s break down the latest news surrounding White’s injury and availability.
What’s the Latest on Rachaad White’s Injury?
White got in a limited practice on Thursday, which is a promising sign for his potential return. It’s worth noting that he did start last week with a limited practice before going DNP-DNP in the last two practices of the week, but it’s good to see White making progress.
It appears White initially injured his foot in Week 5 when it got trapped under an Atlanta Falcons defender on a hip-drop tackle, which the NFL banned earlier this year.
Rachaad White #gobucs
Watch as his right foot gets trapped during this hip drop tackle. Bucky Irving has been in since this play.
Common mechanism for a high ankle or in this case possibly a mid foot injury
Hope he’s okay pic.twitter.com/s73Xwg4L1S
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT)
White’s return could throw Tampa Bay’s backfield into chaos after what Bucky Irving (14 carries, 81 yards, TD) and Sean Tucker (14 carries, 136 yards, TD) did vs. the New Orleans Saints.
Tucker currently ranks first in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.9), while Irving ranks 15th (5.7). Meanwhile, White ranks 66th with just 3.7 yards per carry.
Tucker was the top-scoring running back in fantasy leagues in Week 7, posting the seventh-highest rushing total in a single game this season. According to NFL Pro, Tucker outperformed his blocking, gaining 47 yards over expected. By comparison, Irving has 34 rush yards over expected for the season, while White is at exactly zero.
To be fair, White is coming off his best game of the season, rushing 10 times for 72 yards against the Falcons. But Irving and Tucker have made the most of their opportunities and look way more explosive than White does at this stage of his career.
Fantasy Outlook for Rachaad White and Bucky Irving
When one running back supplants another on the depth chart, it can be annoying, but at least we know where the touches are going (think Jerome Ford stepping into a featured role following Nick Chubb’s injury or Rico Dowdle moving past Ezekiel Elliott).
The worst-case scenario is that White, Irving, and Tucker split the workload into fairly even thirds, making it impossible to start any of them reliably.
White’s two lowest snap shares this season came in the two weeks prior to his injury, and he’s trending in the wrong direction. However, his versatility is keeping him on the field for the majority of snaps (Week 5: 64.7%).
In Week 5 against the Falcons, White had 13 touches for 66 yards, including one red-zone touch. Meanwhile, Irving received 11 touches for 56 yards, including four red-zone touches.
If any of Tampa Bay’s running backs can get 70% of that work, we are looking at a top-15 RB producer. Yet, as it sits right now, none can be considered a safe RB2 due to the fragility of their touch count.
In the first three weeks of the season, White was on the field for every red-zone snap, but over the past two weeks, his rate is down to 52%.
The backfield is clearly trending away from the incumbent, but not enough for a full pivot. Ideally, White will be available and relatively healthy for Monday, as that would finally provide some clarity to fantasy owners on the true pecking order among the three.
