James White caught 8-of-10 targets for 68 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ Week 4 win over the Dolphins, adding eight carries for 44 yards and an additional score. The carries, rushing yards and receptions were all new season highs. With Rex Burkhead (neck) on injured reserve, White’s fantasy production will be more bankable. He is a legitimate FLEX option in every format of fantasy.
Before this week’s game against the Dolphins, quarterback Tom Brady said the team needed to feature James White more within the offense. They did just that and boy did he deliver. A Patriots team that’s lacking weapons needed someone to step up and White did so in dramatic fashion. He had a great day on the ground including a long touchdown run featuring a great cut back that broke a Dolphins players ankles. He was also the target hog for Brady on a receiving core depleted of usual talent. The trust Brady has in White is undeniable and a huge factor in why he’s been so involved thus far. The return of Julian Edelman is going to take away some targets from White, but he’s far ahead of the likes of Patterson, Dorsett, Gordon and even Hogan for Brady’s trust and target share.
As mentioned earlier, the loss of Burkhead really threw White into a larger role for the team. The Patriots showed that they want to use Michel as their ground and pound back, feeding him a ton of carries. White comes in to change the pace, and for RB receiving work. Michel had no catches in yesterdays game, so he’s rather one dimensional at the moment. And as far as game flow goes, White will always be a big part of the offense in close or trailing games, so don’t think he’ll be stuck on the sidelines for long periods of time.
