Rachaad White entered the 2023 NFL season with high hopes attached to him as the clear lead option for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offense. Unfortunately, he’s struggled to make a significant impact, as he’s just the RB25 in half-PPR scoring formats through eight weeks.
Heading into Week 9, is White a solid start for fantasy football managers coming off a good performance in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills? Let’s dive into his fantasy outlook here.
Rachaad White’s Week 9 Outlook
It hasn’t been pretty for White on the ground this season. He’s failed to finish with more than 40 rushing yards in a single contest since all the way back in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints, and he has just one touchdown on the season.
However, in Weeks 7 and 8, we saw heavy utilization for the former Arizona State RB as a receiver out of the backfield, with 13 total targets that he turned into 135 receiving yards. As a result, he’s finished as a top-20 RB for fantasy football in each of the past two weeks, despite struggling mightily on the ground.
Heading into Week 9 against the Houston Texans, do we see the same game script playing out for Tampa Bay as it did in Week 8 against the Bills? Playing from behind caused QB Baker Mayfield to consistently check the ball down to White. That led to his solid fantasy performance with seven receptions for 70 yards.
The Texans are a rebuilding roster that is unlikely to hold up well against the receiving duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. If that’s the case, White may not be needed much as a receiver, and he’ll be forced to try and increase his efficiency as a runner.
Houston’s allowing the 13th-most fantasy points to opposing RBs this season, but the path for White to finish as a top-12 option just simply isn’t there on a weekly basis. Even though he’s seeing solid and consistent volume, White’s not finding the end zone this season, and that limits what he can do from a fantasy standpoint.
In a week with four teams on bye, though, fantasy managers may need to start White this week. He lands as a mid-range RB2 in my Week 9 rankings.
Should You Start Rachaad White?
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Should You Start Rachaad White or Chuba Hubbard?
White and Chuba Hubbard are in a very similar situation for fantasy football. They’re seeing the volume needed to put themselves into the RB2 conversation week after week, but they’re failing to do much with that opportunity.
MORE: Fantasy Week 9 RB Start/Sit
Hubbard has a better matchup from a fantasy standpoint this week against the Indianapolis Colts. If you’re choosing between these two options, Hubbard gets the slight edge in my rankings.
Should You Start White or Rhamondre Stevenson?
Rhamondre Stevenson’s matchup against the Washington Commanders looked a lot more frightening on paper just two days ago, but after the trades of DEs Montez Sweat and Chase Young, Washington’s defense is much less intimidating.
Still, this Patriots’ offense is not one that you should be willing to attach yourself to, and White’s seeing more consistent volume. I’ll give a slight edge to White.
Should You Start White or Joe Mixon?
Joe Mixon is currently banged up with a chest injury at the time of writing, so you’ll need to monitor that as we move throughout the week. However, assuming that he plays, Mixon’s the clear answer here.
He’s seeing plenty of work in a much better offense, which will offset the tough matchup against the Bills. That game could get high-scoring quickly, and Mixon will be in plenty of scoring opportunities.
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