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.

Friday, November 28, 5:51 PM

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane has been on fire for the Dolphins during their recent run of success, and he is in a smash spot this week against the Saints. Achane produced 120 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards in Miami's win over the Commanders before last week's bye week, and he was even better the previous week with 22 carries for 174 and six catches for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Bills. This season, he has been extremely productive with nine touchdowns and an average of 115.5 rushing plus receiving yards per game. He has a great matchup against the Saints, who have been very beatable on the ground in the last few weeks. The combination of his recent surge and the Saints' struggles against the run makes Achane the No. 1 RB in all of RotoBaller's RB rankings for Week 13.