Zamir White

Jakobi Meyers and Zamir White join Davante Adams and Michael Mayer as offensive starters who are OUT for Week 6. Meyers took over for Adams when he went out with a hamstring pull. Meyers was injured against the Broncos in Week 5, an ankle injury. White has multiple injuries including a groin pull. Mayer is away from the team.

Brock Bowers will be new starting QB Aidan O’Connell’s target leader, while Tre Tucker becomes the primary WR. TE Harrison Bryant may also earn some targets. Bowers is the only startable fantasy asset and should be a mandatory start at TE or Flex as the season’s TE1.

As the Las Vegas Raiders began off-season training, without former bellcow RB Josh Jacobs for the first time in 5 years, it was assumed that Zamir White had “passed” his 2023 audition and would be the Raiders’ featured back. The addition of free agent Alexander Mattison, presence of Ameer Abdullah, and drafting of Dylan Laube provided a small modicum of uncertainty, which HC Antonio Pierce has put to rest.

“Early downs? A lot of them are [Zamir White]. That’s what I expect to see,” explained Pierce, in reference to the team’s gameplan for RB usage in 2024. Pierce also noted that White, “has his legs underneath him. Big, powerful man. Bigger than he was last year. More explosive. Faster, it looks like.” A bigger, faster, more explosive Zamir White could be a problem for opposing defenses.

In 2023 White averaged 4.67 yards per carry on an average of 21 carries over the last 4 games of the season after taking over the Raiders’ backfield for the injured Jacobs. Sustaining that production over the course of a 17 game season will be a task, for sure, but if he does so, White would put himself in the ranges of 350 carries and 1600 yards. White is currently ranked at Player Profiler at RB31 and carries an FFPC ADP of 150. No RB in the NFL had over 280 carries or 1459 rushing yards in 2023, but If White approaches the numbers he did in his small sample in 2023, he’ll be a smash in all formats.

Zamir White was a risky dynasty pick this offseason, but the Raiders’ underwhelming backfield additions have dramatically improved his outlook. With Alexander Mattison and Dylan Laube posing little threat, White appears poised for a substantial role in 2024.

Running backs offer fleeting fantasy value, making volume-driven, productive options like White highly desirable. While his long-term viability remains uncertain, his clear path to immediate production in 2024 makes him a compelling target across all fantasy formats, including dynasty.

The former NFL rushing yards leader for the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh Jacobs, is now on the Green Bay Packers. Jacobs missed the final four games in 2023 with an injury. His replacement was his 2nd-year, former Georgia Bulldog, backup, Zamir White. In Jacobs’ absence, White finished four straight weeks as a PPR RB2, carrying the ball 21 times per game and exceeding 100 total yards three times. Most analysts and fans felt his performance made Jacobs expendable, and, sure enough, the Raiders allowed Jacobs to leave. Now White will lead the RB room.

White, nicknamed “Zeus”, was the only RB on the roster, until Ameer Abdullah signed to return to the team. Former Vikings running back Alexander Mattison is the latest addition. Mattison will be a solid veteran insurance policy, and change of pace as a backup to White, while Abdullah carries 3rd down duties with Mattison being inferior to his backfield-mates in pass-blocking and in receiving. In addition, Mattison has traditionally been a power back and the Raiders have stated they intend to use zone blocking schemes, a system in which White is the more capable back. The Raiders will also likely use a Day 3 pick to add a RB in the upcoming draft to fill out the RB room.

Given White’s relative lack of previous usage, his new role as the backfield leader, and his performance to finish 2023, expect him to be a solid RB2/Top 20 option in 2024. An identical workload of 21 carries per game at 4.3 ypc would set him firmly atop the rushing leaderboard for the season.

The Las Vegas Raiders have stayed in-house for their Head Coach hire, giving Antonio Pierce an upgrade after the former defensive standout and Super Bowl Champion served at the position in the 2023 interim that followed the firing of Josh McDaniels. Pierce’s Raiders finished with a 5-4 record, giving notice to their AFC West rivals that they were to be reckoned with. Pierce led a late-season revamp which saw the team score 63 points against the Chargers, beat the Chiefs in Kansas City for Christmas, and embarrass the Broncos in Week 18.

Despite speculation and media hype that previously surrounded Raiders coaching hires and the big names that are available for hire, Mark Davis had eyes for only one man. Most notably, “big fish” candidates Jim Harbaugh, Bill Belichck, and Mike Vrabel were never interviewed.

Questions still remain at Offensive Coordinator and whether or not QB Aidan O’Connell will be the starter post-draft, so the fantasy implications are to-be-determined. Zamir White, Tre Tucker, and Michael Mayer did show promise for the future, each having mini-breakouts after the change at head coach.