The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running game has been impressive this year, but an injury to Rachaad White in Week 15 has left them looking thin at the position. With Bucky Irving entering the week at less than 100%, potentially losing White could be a hammer blow to this run game.
Let’s examine White’s latest injury update and what it means for fantasy football purposes.
What Happened to Rachaad White?
The situation with White was somewhat odd because it happened away from the play and seemed innocuous at first glance. White fell to his knees at the back of the end zone as Baker Mayfield scrambled for four yards on third down. It seemed like White was stepped on and he managed to hobble off the field under his own power. He returned to the game on the following drive.
#Bucs RB Rachaad White appeared to get stepped on, coming off the field gingerly. Here’s the video pic.twitter.com/kZBVsUiFmd
— JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL) December 15, 2024
White has played in 12 of the Buccaneers’ 13 games to this point, missing their Week 6 game due to injury. He has rushed for 509 yards on 120 attempts at an average of 4.2 yards per attempt. That is a career-high number in terms of yards per attempt, but he has been seeing significantly fewer touches this year as he shares the role with Bucky Irving.
Fantasy Impact of White’s Injury
Analysis by Kyle Soppe
Irving has looked like a fantasy star during his introductory season, and if he remains healthy, this could lead to him becoming a true league winner.
Irving has proven to be a viable pass catcher and an efficient runner, giving him an avenue to be an upgrade on White’s very impactful profile from last season. If White were to miss time, Mike Evans and Cade Otton (to different levels) would see their target equity bump up a tick, not enough to drastically change their respective values.