Zamir White Fantasy Outlook Climbs Following Kenyan Drake Release

It seems that every season at least one rookie running back rises from the ranks of the relatively obscure to become a must-start fantasy football option. Managers looking to find this year's top rookie running back sleeper may want to consider the Las Vegas Raiders' Zamir White, especially after the team announced that it was releasing Kenyan Drake on Tuesday.

Zamir White Fantasy Football

Opportunity is one of the biggest pieces we want to look for when analyzing running backs in fantasy football, and Zamir White's potential for opportunity just got much bigger.

Drake was far from a workhorse in 2021, but he was the Raiders' clear RB2 behind Josh Jacobs, tallying 63 carries and 40 targets in 12 games. He even played 71% of the team's offensive snaps when Jacobs was out in Week 2 (a mark that Jacobs himself only eclipsed twice on the year).

So now there's a void at the RB2 spot, which White has already reportedly been filling in training camp. And it's not too hard to see why — White averaged over 5.4 yards per carry in each of his final two collegiate season in 2020 and 2021, already looking pro-ready against SEC defenses.

White's opportunity goes beyond a handcuff, too.

Jacobs was a first-round pick from the old Raiders' regime. New general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels don't need to justify having spent a first-round pick on Jacobs by feeding him the ball.

That means Jacobs' leash won't be nearly as long as it has been in years past if he struggles, and even if he's playing well he could lose work to White if the rookie really shows out.

Your late-round fantasy football sleeper picks should be focused on players who could win you your league. If Jacobs gets hurt or struggles early in the season, White is absolutely one of those players, making him a great late-round target in 2022 drafts.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.