Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or D'Andre Swift

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.

Wednesday, January 7, 9:57 AM

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift was one of fantasy football's best running back picks in the mid rounds, as he finished the 2025 season as the RB15, and rushed for 1,087 yards on 223 attempts (4.87 YPC) and added 34 receptions for 299 yards in the receiving game as well. As the season progressed, the Rutgers rookie running back, Kyle Monangai, started to make an impact, and the Bears' backfield became more of a running-back-by-committee approach, leaving Swift managers frustrated. However, in his somewhat limited workload down the stretch, Swift still was averaging closer to 60 percent of the snaps to Monangai's 40, and is still the clear lead back averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game on the season, and with the Bears in their first playoff game with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, and first time head coach Ben Johnson, it's likely they will make an emphasis to try and run the ball effectively against a depleted Packers defense who last Micah Parson's (knee) for the season. The Bears are underdogs (+1) in this contest, but have shown all season that they can win close games. Although Swift is not one of the top running back options to own in fantasy payoff leagues, he is a solid option and would only become more valuable if the Bears can continue to advance in the playoffs.