Fantasy Football Player Notes

In Week 1, Bucky Irving led the rushing attack with 62 yards on nine carries, including a 31-yard burst, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Rachaad White struggled to find running lanes, managing just 31 yards on 15 carries (long of 15 yards), while Mayfield added 21 rushing yards on three scrambles. The Buccaneers starter still played 70% of the snaps to Irving's 31%. The White/Irving split is somewhat concerning. White saw a 70% snap share or less one time last season. And it was in a game where he struggled immensely as a rusher averaging fewer than 2 yards per carry. Irving steps in immediately as a rookie and excels rushing in the new scheme orchestrated by new OC Liam Coen. Irving was handpicked by Coen during the NFL Draft as a plan to lessen White's workload. And rookie RBs (especially Day 3 picks) don't usually play this much in Week 1. White's pass-catching is still top-notch, but his continued struggles as a rusher are hard to ignore.

Given that Irving is my favorite RB to target off waivers this week, it makes me hesitant on White long-term. Don't think he goes to zero due to the receiving, but the carries could shift dramatically if Irving is just more efficient in this rushing scheme. Keep in mind that other than being undersized and not overly athletic, Irving was a talented RB prospect from Oregon. His 3.11 yards per play rank in the top five in the class.

Things did not improve for White in Week 2. Irving managed 7 carries for 22 yards (3.1 YPC), while White struggled to get going again, gaining just 18 yards on 10 carries (1.8 YPC). He left the game for a portion with a groin injury but returned to action. He still played 71% of the snaps, but the injury may have contributed to his lack of production.
Irving played 35% of the snaps, a slight increase from Week 1. White also caught just 1 pass on his 1 target (5.3%) for 5 yards.