Rachaad White started for most of last season. Eventually, his play saw him get overtaken by rookie Bucky Irving. Still one of the best receiving backs in the league, is White being slept on in 2025 fantasy football drafts?
Rachaad White Fantasy Outlook
White was one of the best values in fantasy in 2023. After a woefully inefficient rookie season splitting duties with Leonard Fournette, White entered 2023 as the Bucs’ clear lead back. However, as one of the worst runners in football, there was concern he could play his way out of a job.
White certainly tried, averaging 3.6 yards per carry and managing just six rushes of 15+ yards all season. For better or worse, though, he kept his job, largely because Chase Edmonds and rookie UDFA Sean Tucker didn’t exactly provide any serious competition.
White wound up averaging 15.8 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall RB10. He was one of the best middle-round picks you could’ve made.
In what should’ve been a massive red flag, White’s ADP didn’t spike into the third round last season. He remained as a fourth or fifth rounder. I’ve said this many times, but the fantasy community is as smart and savvy as it’s ever been. The years of managers foolishly drafting the likes of Alex Collins or Isaiah Crowell in the third round following one anomalously good season are over.
In 2024, the Bucs added Irving, who was an actual threat to White’s job. The rookie didn’t do much at first, with White dominating much like he did as a sophomore. But White offered absolutely nothing to fantasy managers besides raw volume. When that volume comes through the air, White can not only survive, but thrive in fantasy on limited rushing production.
The problem for White is that when you’re that bad as a runner, it’s easy to get usurped by a more talented player.
White was actually better on the ground, averaging 4.3 ypc, but saw a sizable reduction in receiving volume. His target share went from 12.7% to just 10.8%. His yards per route run went from 1.43 to 1.3.
Nevertheless, White still managed to average 12.8 PPG, mainly because he scored nine touchdowns. It’s hard to see a path for White in 2025.
Now, I’m not here to put any fantasy analyst on blast. But it’s important to understand the sentiment surrounding White and why it is wrong.
Rachaad White is a STRONG depth RB for your 2025 fantasy team‼️
Why?
– On an excellent offense
– Proven that he can put up big fantasy points when given volume (2023 – 15+ FPPG)
– Even as the backup RB last year, he was RB18 from Wk10-17
– Pass catching ability = safe floor pic.twitter.com/oiTgRVuxxq— PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) June 3, 2025
This information completely mischaracterizes what happened with the Bucs’ backfield over the latter portion of the 2024 season and does not paint an honest picture. That is not to say White can’t have a great training camp and earn his spot back. But to say White was the RB18 from Weeks 10-17 and has a safe receiving floor is not reflective of what we saw.
We cannot look at White’s performance from Weeks 10 to 17. There was a seismic shift in this backfield during that span, and it did not come in Week 10.
Beginning Week 16, Todd Bowles was about at his wit’s end with White. It was the first time Irving legitimately started over the veteran. White saw a mere three carries. He also fumbled away the game, which was the final straw.
As a reminder, the Bucs were fighting an uphill battle to make the playoffs. In their most important games of the season, Weeks 17, 18, and their one playoff game, here were White’s key numbers:
- 38% snap share; 6 carries (all in garbage time), 1 target
- 25% snap share; 0 carries; 0 targets
- 38% snap share; 1 carry; 2 targets
Yes, White is still a very good receiver and the team’s best pass blocker. He is going to have a role this year, and he is going to play. But there is no receiving floor. He lost that job to Irving as well.
I don’t make this comment lightly. White is one of the worst picks you can make in fantasy this year.
The reason we draft backup running backs is that they either have some standalone value or a realistic path to fantasy relevance. There is no path for White this year.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
One might think the path is an Irving injury. Yes, that would undoubtedly force Bowles to use White more. However, I contend that if Irving has to miss time, White will remain purely a satellite back, and Tucker will handle the overwhelming majority of the carries. White is two injuries away from being the volume-based RB2 fantasy managers remember.
White’s ADP sits at RB43. I have him ranked at RB57. That is easily the largest discrepancy between my rankings and ADP. Simply put, I am not drafting White in any league.
Frank Ammirante’s Fantasy Projections for Rachaad White
Rachaad White is a great pass-catcher out of the backfield, but there’s not a lot of explosiveness to his game. He’s already been overtaken by Bucky Irving in the Bucs’ backfield, and now there’s a chance that the same can happen, but with Sean Tucker.
This is exactly the type of pick to avoid in all formats. White’s entire value is on a heavy role in the passing game, but Irving is a good receiver in his own right, so there’s a chance that Tucker is the better fit as the complementary back. You can wait a few rounds to take Tucker, making him the much more appealing option at cost.
Don’t get caught up in White’s prior production, as that role is long gone. That was at a time when he got a lot of usage in Tampa, but it’s Bucky’s backfield now. I’d look elsewhere from White if I needed a veteran back with standalone value. If I wanted a similar archetype, I’d go with Austin Ekeler, who actually looked explosive last season.
