What You Need To Know:

• White rarely showed a high ceiling last year, but a prominent passing game role again found him among the top-20 PPR RBs.
• White has missed only 2 games due to injury over the past 4 seasons.
• Losing Tom Brady adds an unknown element to this offense. But the Pats are thin on pass catchers, opening the door for White to see another 90+ targets.

More of the same

White predictably took a step back from his career-high 123-87-75-7 receiving line in 2018. But he remained a unique asset for those in PPR formats.

Missing only 1 start — for the birth of his child — White snagged 72 of 95 targets for 645 yards (9.0 YPC) and 5 scores. Per Pro Football Focus, his 1.91 yards per route run ranked 3rd among 19 RBs with 50+ targets.

He reached 11 PPR points in 12 of 15 appearances.

Adding only 67 carries, White simply didn’t carry a high ceiling. He exceeded 17 PPR points only once (37.7 points, Week 13 at Houston). And 5 of his 6 TDs came over the final 8 games.

2020 changes

Gone is Tom Brady, who’s helped propel White to a career catch rate of nearly 74%. Beyond that, this offense’s approach has been tailored to Brady’s later-career strengths: identifying defenses and getting the ball out quickly.

We don’t expect a major shift in OC Josh McDaniels’ offense. But adding 2nd-year QB Jarrett Stidham to the starting lineup clearly adds an unknown element. A 4th-round pick last spring, Stidham had an up and down career at Auburn.

White at least profiles as a strong volume bet once again. The Pats return the same backfield that includes unimpressive 3rd-year man Sony Michel, who’s averaged about 1 target per game through 2 seasons. He mustered only 3.7 yards per carry last year and was among the league’s least elusive runners, according to Pro Football Focus.

Elsewhere, New England will count on 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry for a year 2 leap. The size, athleticism and talen…