There has been a lot of discussion and rumblings about what the Raiders will do with their backfield touches this season. We know that the team declined the fifth-year option for Josh Jacobs, meaning that he will be a free agent in 2023.
We also know that the Raiders spent two draft picks on running backs and signed two veterans in Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah. So it only makes sense that the Raiders would use a heavy rotation this season, right?
In a recent article by Vic Tafur of The Athletic, he explained why the Raiders are likely to deploy a running back by committee approach during the 2022 season.
“Sounds to me like you have to use (Zamir White) this season. Jacobs and Drake will likely both be gone next year after playing out their contracts, and there is probably a decent chance Ziegler and McDaniels already think White is better than them. A committee approach seems to make sense, keeping everybody fresh and ideally available.”
Jacobs was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and he has eclipsed 1,200 total yards in each of his three seasons in the NFL. But the Raiders aren’t convinced he is a game-changing running back that can stay on the field.
While he’ll likely still be the starter in 2022, it seems very unlikely that he will average 18 touches like he did last season. Instead, look for Kenyan Drake and Zamir White to both eat into his touches during the year.
As we inch closer to fantasy football season, this is simply a backfield you’ll want to avoid at all costs as there will just be too many players touching the ball every week. There’s just no chance there is a consistent fantasy producer coming out of this backfield.