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The 2023 regular season season is almost here. That means fantasy players have only a few weeks to complete all of their fantasy football drafts.
One of the toughest decisions fantasy players have to make every year is deciding between two similar options. Since fantasy players can’t possibly draft both guys, they must make the hard decision on which player to pick.
Today we look at whether fantasy players should draft Cam Akers or Rachaad White.
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Should I Draft Cam Akers?
According to the RotoBaller ADP, Akers is a sixth-round pick in 12-team leagues and the 21st running back off the board. The former Florida State star was the RB33 last season, averaging nine half-point PPR fantasy points per game. He had 188 rushing attempts for 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.
More importantly, the veteran ended the year on fire. Akers was the RB2 over the final four weeks, averaging 18.3 fantasy points per game. He forced a missed tackle on 22.7% of his rushing attempts during those four contests.
Furthermore, the former Florida State star averaged 2.78 yards after contact per rushing attempt, the same average as Saquon Barkley. Akers had 36 missed tackles forced on his 188 rushing attempts. By comparison, Christian McCaffrey has the same 36 missed tackles forced on 244 rushing attempts last year.
Should I Draft Rachaad White?
According to the RotoBaller ADP, White is a sixth-round pick in 12-team leagues and the 23rd running back off the board. The former Arizona State star became a popular fantasy pick earlier this offseason when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Leonard Fournette.
Instead of adding some to compete with White for the starting role, the Buccaneers only added Chase Edmonds and undrafted free agent Sean Tucker to the backfield. Therefore, the second-year running back will have an unchallenged featured role in 2023. Last year he had 179 touches for 771 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.
However, the former Arizona State star struggled as a rookie. He was the RB38, averaging 6.7 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he lacked big play upside. White averaged only 3.7 yards per rushing attempt and 2.3 yards after contact per attempt, ranking second to last in both categories among running backs with at least 120 rushing attempts. Furthermore, the second-year player had only eight rushing attempts totaling 10 or more yards, the fewest among running backs with at least 120 rushing attempts last season.
Who Should I Draft?
Fantasy players shouldn’t struggle with this decision. Both running backs play on limited offenses, but only one ended last season playing well. Akers is entering a contract year, and the Los Angeles Rams have no reason not to run him into the ground.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have struggled to run the ball during the preseason. Without a meaningful quarterback under center, defenses will do everything possible to slow down White.
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