The hype surrounding Zamir White has grown a ton over the last few days. We’ve already seen reports that the Raiders view him as a potential starter in 2023 and that they believe he could be a three-down back.
But is there a chance that he could actually be an impact player for them this season?
In a recent article by ESPN and their 32 beat writers, they each named a fantasy sleeper for the 2022 season. For the Raiders, that was none other than Zamir White. Here is what Paul Gutierrez had to say about the fourth-round pick for Georgia:
“Sleeper, you say? How about a guy that no one had linked to the Raiders before the draft? A guy that plays a position already stacked with a Pro Bowler in Josh Jacobs, a versatile vet returning from a broken right ankle in Kenyan Drake and a guy well-versed in new coach Josh McDaniels’ offense in Brandon Bolden.
Yeah, fourth-round pick White is that guy. Both knees have been rebuilt and he runs hard between the tackles, so let’s link the rookie White to some fantasy production based on his hard-charging running style.”
For White to be fantasy relevant, he would likely need something to happen to both Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake. And even then, the Raiders plan on using a running back by committee approach that could have White leave the field on obvious passing downs.
While it’s fun to envision White as a fantasy producer as a rookie, that’s just not likely to happen. Instead, expect him to serve as a backup this year and potentially as the starter as soon as 2023.