Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Chase Brown

Monday, September 22, 12:34 PM

Although Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. wasn't all that efficient (3.5 yards per carry) in his 2025 debut in the team's 41-24 blowout win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, he did lead the team with 11 carries. Rodriguez was a healthy scratch the first two weeks, but he was elevated to the active roster for Week 3 after Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles in Week 2. The 24-year-old ran for 39 yards on his 11 carries and was not utilized in the passing game. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt was second on the team with eight carries, and he, too, was inefficient with just 26 yards on the ground. Jeremy McNichols and quarterback Marcus Mariota combined for 10 rushing attempts and two touchdowns against the Raiders. Croskey-Merritt has the most upside in the Commanders' backfield moving forward with Ekeler done for the year, but Rodriguez is worth a waiver-wire pickup if you have JCM rostered or are looking for RB depth. Rodriguez is currently rostered in only 5% of Yahoo leagues.

Friday, October 17, 9:26 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had 11 carries for 108 yards and added two catches for -8 yards on Thursday night against the Steelers. It was the most productive game of the season for Brown as he went over 100 rushing yards for the first time since Week 9 of last season. Coming into the game, he had just 304 total yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in six games. But he was able to find plenty of running room against a Pittsburgh defense that had been tough against opposing running backs. His snap share also rebounded to 63.2% in this one after being closer to 50% in the previous two games. Hopefully, this signals better days ahead for Brown as the Cincinnati offense is trending in the right direction with Joe Flacco under center.