Week 11 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Rachaad White vs. RJ Harvey

Choosing between Rachaad White and RJ Harvey in Week 11 fantasy football? We break down both running backs’ matchups, workloads, and upside to help you make the right start/sit call.

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) rushes during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

There are a lot of tough start or sit decisions that the fantasy owners have to make each week between two strong options. One of those decisions that fantasy owners have to make this week is between Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White and Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey. Both of these backs are expected to see an increased workload due to an injury to the team's starting back.

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Case For Rachaad White

We have seen White handle a full workload before, or at least a hefty workload. Including this season, while starter Bucky Irving has been sidelined. He is in a better Buccaneers' offense and has a much better matchup this week. Tampa Bay plays the Buffalo Bills this week, who are allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs this season. If he continues to see the bulk of the carries in Week 11, White should be in for a big game. 

The Case Against Rachaad White

The concern with White is that Sean Tucker is clearly overtaking him as the primary rusher in the Bucs offense. Over the past two weeks, Tucker has carried the ball 21 times for 95 yards and a touchdown, while White has carried the ball 23 times for 73 yards. In the prior three-week games, Tucker saw just 10 carries for 32 yards, while White carried the ball 41 times for 144 yards. White is being pushed to more of a pass-catching role, which the Bills are not a good matchup for. They have allowed just 214 receiving yards to running backs this season with is the sixth-fewest in the league, and they haven't allowed a single TD through the air to running backs.  

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) runs against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Case For RJ Harvey

The rookie has proven to be explosive and have a tendency to find the end zone despite limited touches. He's had just 75 touches this season, but has still punched in six TDs, compared to White, who has scored just four TDs on 113 touches. There is a chance that Harvey sees close to a bell-cow workload this week, with JK Dobbins not expected to play, and is viewed as the higher upside player. 

The Case Against RJ Harvey

We have never actually seen what this offense looks like without Dobbins. There is a chance that Harvey comes nowhere close to seeing starter touches. This backfield is still a mystery; no matter how much we think we know, the fact remains that we have not seen it. Harvey also wasn't a great prospect, so there is a chance that he's just not very good and struggles with a larger workload against the Kansas Chiefs, who have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. 

The Verdict: Rachaad White vs. RJ Harvey

Start Harvey. The rookie comes with more upside and has a chance to handle almost all the carries, and still see most of the passing-down work as well. We know that Tucker is going to push double-digit carries this week, we can at least hope that won't be the case in Denver.