Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Rachaad White

Saturday, January 3, 10:02 AM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) does not have an injury designation heading into the team's week 18 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dowdle appears to be in a 60-40 timeshare with fellow running back Chuba Hubbard, with the latter seeing the vast majority of third downs over the past three games. The Panthers hosted the Buccaneers in Week 16, and Dowdle was held to just 29 yards from nine rushing attempts, but did earn 14 receiving yards from his four receptions off six targets. Even though Dowdle has been absent on nearly every third down over the last two games, he still managed to earn more targets and run six more routes each game than Hubbard. Dowdle profiles as a low-end RB2 against a middle-of-the-road Buccaneers run defense in the 2025 regular season finale.

Tuesday, December 23, 1:07 PM

According to head coach Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White could be given a larger role during their contest against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. When asked about White's usage during their loss to the Panthers in Week 16, Bowles noted that he "completely agrees" that White should have been given more rushing attempts, given the success he enjoyed in his limited opportunities. In this contest, White took five carries for 45 yards and two receptions of 15 yards. Over the previous two games, White showed similar upside, tallying 73 yards on 12 rushing attempts. White's eight rushing attempts on Sunday placed him second on the depth chart, above Sean Tucker's four carries and behind Bucky Irving's 19 carries. Given that White seems poised for a larger role in Week 17, managers in deeper 12-team formats could consider him as a viable FLEX play facing a Miami defense that is allowing the eighth-most PPR points to opposing RBs.