Fantasy Debate: DeVante Parker vs. Kevin White

In this edition of Spin Doctors, fantasy MDs Liz Loza and Brad Evans examine two receivers ripe with potential. Can DeVante Parker pick up where he left off? Or will Kevin White emerge as 2016’s hottest new talent? Read each argument and declare a winner below.

Evans pants at Parker’s possibility: When the reins were finally removed from Parker he delivered on his first-round promise. Filling in for injured starter Rishard Matthews from Week 12 on, the then rookie tapped into his brilliant play-making abilities seeing action on roughly 90 percent of the Dolphins’ snaps. During that six-game stretch he accumulated 22 receptions (on 45 targets) for 445 yards (20.2 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. His resulting 62.5 fantasy points in standard formats (73.5 in PPR) ranked No. 20 (No. 21) at the position. Extrapolate that output over an entire season (58-1186-8) and he was essentially Miami’s version of Sammy Watkins. Overall, his 19.0 yards per route was equally outstanding.

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Off his dynamite finish, Parker enters training camp with swelled confidence. Though an undisclosed ailment slowed him in June he is expected to start training camp at 100 percent. Miami’s new head honcho, Adam Gase, is giddy about the receiver’s potential. You should be too. Given Parker’s robust 6-foot-3, 209-pound frame, 4.45 separation speed and marvelous ball-tracking skills, he owns the tools to develop into the Alshon Jeffery or, at least, the Emmanuel Sanders in Gase’s high-flying offense.

Jarvis Landry should again set the pace in team targets, but if Parker attracts a similar workload as he did late last year (7.5 tgts/g WKs 12-17), he has reasonable odds of surpassing 1,050 receiving yards with 7-9 TDs. Yes, even with Ryan Tannehill’s deep-ball shortcomings.

Gained experience is vital when comparing young wide receivers and considering White has logged the same amount of NFL minutes as yours truly; the advantage clearly sides with Parker.

Admittedly, White has appreciable upside. His oversized mitts, brute strength and prototype size fit the mold of a No. 1. It’s understandable why many scouts compare him to Dez Bryant or Andre Johnson. But Jeffery is the Bears’ clear-cut No. 1 and because White was limited by a scaled-down system at West Virginia, the on-field learning curve remains cumbersome. Ted Ginn has a bigger route tree. No surprise, reports surfaced from OTAs White was “a work in progress.”

Bottom line, the proof is in the pudding.

Parker, going some 15-20 picks higher in early drafts, is the appropriate second-year receiver to target.

Loza is wowed by White’s upside: A little over a year ago, pigskin devotees were debating whether Amari Cooper or Kevin White was the best receiver in the 2015 class. Cooper had the polish, but White boasted statuesque size and tantalizing athleticism. Unfortunately, the West Virginia product wasn’t able to prove his mettle after a stress fracture (shin) sidelined him for the whole of last season. This year, however, reports all indicate that he is 100 percent, looking faster and stronger than he did prior to the injury.

A more fertile fantasy situation could not exist for the 6-foot-3 and 215 pound specimen. Expected to line up opposite Alshon Jeffery, the former first round pick won’t garner the same defensive attention as his veteran counterpart. While he may be raw at the start of the season, having Jeffery available to open things up should aid in White’s maturation process.

Furthermore, the Bears will be without pass-catching weapons Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett. Additionally, Marquess Wilson re-fractured his left foot in minicamp, which should keep the wideout sidelined through Week 6 of 2016. While Chicago will continue to be a run-first offense under John Fox, there are still plenty of aerial opportunities for White.

Last year Jefferey averaged more than 10 targets per game in the 9 contests he started. Eddie Royal, the team’s slot receiver, averaged just over 5 targets per game when healthy. When added up, the remaining receivers’ (Marques Wilson, Marc Mariani, and Josh Bellamy) looks totaled nearly 11 opportunities per outing. Again noting the absence of both Forte and Bennett, White’s volume should place him solidly in WR2 range with the 24-year-old easily amassing 120 targets over a 16-week season.

Miami, on the other hand, boasts a buffet of pass-catching options, making Parker’s estimated target total more difficult to assess. Not to mention the fact that he’s a deep threat tied to a quarterback who struggles with the deep ball. Adam Gase’s arrival may mean good things for Tannehill, but it also means an offense that’s dedicated to the run, and again, features two RBs who can catch the ball.

While Parker is, undoubtedly, a play maker, I’d argue White is as well. Both similarly built, it is White who possesses 4.3 speed and a jaw-dropping catch radius. His hands aren’t as good a Parker’s and he’ll need to clean up the drops, but going a round later in 12-team exercises, White’s circumstances are ideal for managers unafraid of the unknown.

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Follow our fearless forecasters on twitter, Liz (@LizLoza_FF) and Brad (@YahooNoise).