I don’t think the Patriots are going to miss Tom Brady. That statement doesn’t hold true for everyone. There is one player on the Patriots that is really going to miss Tom Brady. That man is James White. We don’t know what the Brian Hoyer and or Jarrett Stidham offense is going to look like. White appears to be the biggest loser regardless.
White has been the primary pass catching running back for the last 5 years. As Brady got older, he looked for White more and more. The last two years, White has pretty eye popping numbers. 218 targets, 1,396 yards, and 12 touchdowns is a lot better than you would expect without looking at the stat sheet. He’s basically been a capable number 3 weapon in an offense.
The problem is, White doesn’t bring any rushing threat to the table. The Wisconsin product averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry last year and hasn’t had more than 94 carries in any season. Those carries are going to other guys. Sony Michel, Damien Harris, and Rex Burkhead are also on the roster.
My question is, will Stidham and or Hoyer look for White out of the backfield like Brady did? Over the past two years, White was a player that was actually usable in fantasy. Now we don’t even know if he will be used in his own offense. Part of the reason why Brady had such a low yards per attempt mark is because he checked it down to White so often. Add in the fact that James White also in a contract year which complicates matters.
Honestly, I think Bill Belichick has lost it in terms of constructing a roster. I’m not sure I want anybody on this team in fantasy. With Brady gone, James White is the one player I have no idea what to do with. I’m not sure they do either.
