Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Isaac Guerendo

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.

Tuesday, October 21, 9:16 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo was thrust into action in his rookie season in the NFL in 2024 because Christian McCaffrey missed most of the year due to injuries. Guerendo finished with 84 rushing attempts for 420 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games (three starts) and also chipped in 15 catches on 16 targets as a pass-catcher for 152 yards. Fantasy managers probably viewed him as a pretty valuable handcuff for the injury-prone CMC going into 2025 drafts, but the Niners' acquisition of Brian Robinson Jr. before the season pretty much killed whatever fantasy appeal he had. Through the first seven weeks of his sophomore campaign, the 25-year-old former fourth-rounder has yet to play an offensive snap with CMC and B-Rob both staying healthy. Instead, Guerendo has been limited to a special teams role, returning five kickoffs for a combined 100 yards.