Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or De'Von Achane

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.

Saturday, December 27, 7:36 AM

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane is once again a top-ten starting option this week as his team hosts the Bucs. Rookie Quinn Ewers will make his second straight start at quarterback for Miami, and last week Achane had 81 rushing yards and nine receiving yards in support of the rookie in the team's 45-21 loss to the Bengals. Achane had one touchdown, giving him 12 scores on the season, and he's already up to 1,267 rushing yards and 459 receiving yards with two games to play. The Bucs have been a fairly neutral matchup for running backs this season, giving up 14 RB touchdowns in 15 games with an average of 53.6 receiving yards out of the backfield for the position. Achane is the No. 7 RB in the RotoBaller Week 17 rankings, making him a strong start in most standard-sized leagues, since he's been a fantasy stalwart despite his team's struggles this season.