The Fantasy Football Impact Of James White’s Sudden Retirement

This morning, the New England Patriots lost a key part of their offense for the past several seasons: running back James White.

In an emotional statement, White announced his decision to walk away from the game of football with just a few weeks left until the regular season begins.

“It has been an honor to represent my family, my teammates, and the people of New England as a Patriot,” he wrote. “Reflecting on my nine years in the NFL and all the sacrifices it took to get here, there are many people that were just as much part of this journey.”

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New England will be in my heart forever. Thank you for unwavering support over the years. I am forever grateful.

This chapter has been one that I will cherish. I look forward to what is next. pic.twitter.com/8qd0FbA0tW

— James White (@SweetFeet_White) August 11, 2022

Fantasy Football Impact Of James White Leaving Patriots

Despite his prowess as a pass-catcher, along with being a fan-favorite for his role in the 2019 Super Bowl Patriots, White was never considered a bell-cow back.

However, his presence in the Patriots’ scheme often dis-allowed other running backs from being significant contributors for fantasy football squads.

Now the question becomes: does James White’s retirement open the door for a breakout season for other Patriots backs?

New England still has Damien Harris listed as their RB1 on the depth chart ahead of exciting youngster Rhamondre Stevenson. And on ESPN’s power rankings for running backs, Harris remains ahead of Stevenson at #28, while Rhamondre is sitting at #37 on the list.

Last season, Harris put together solid fantasy numbers, running for 929 yards and 15 TDs. Stevenson added 606 yards and 5 TDs on the ground. When looking at the advanced metrics, Harris still has more value than Stevenson by a very slight margin.

Damien Harris ran for 4.6 yards per carry, 1.85 yards before contact, 2.75 yards after contact, with 8.7% runs of the explosive nature (12 yards or more). Stevenson had 4.56 yards per carry, 1.30 yards before contact,  3.26 yards after contact, but had the edge with a 15.6% explosive run rate.

Still, it’s clear that the Patriots value Harris more as their primary back on the goal line. He played 60 snaps with three yards or fewer to go, converting 72.7% of his goal-to-go runs for eight touchdowns. Stevenson played just 32 snaps with three or fewer yards to goal, with a 60% conversion rate on goal-to-go carries, three touchdowns.

It’s also important to note that Rhamondre Stevenson had four of his five touchdowns in games where Damien Harris was either hurt or getting rest during a blowout (two touchdowns late in the Jaguars game).

Either way, the Patriots have a typical two-back system with James White out of the picture. And while Damien Harris could be a decent fantasy football pickup towards the middle-to-late rounds of your draft, neither him or Rhamondre Stevenson appear poised for a clear breakout season.

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