Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Tank Bigsby

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 14, 3:02 PM

Philadelphia running back Tank Bigsby took his first offensive snaps with the Eagles in Week 7 and followed that up by turning nine carries into 104 yards in a Week 8 win over the Giants that saw starter Saquon Barkley exit early with a groin injury. With the Eagles on a Week 9 bye, Barkley's health remained in question heading into Week 10, making Bigsby a popular waiver add over those two weeks. In Week 10's win over the Packers, Barkley outsnapped Bigsby 44 to eight and saw 25 total opportunities to Bigsby's 3, proving once again that when healthy, the Eagles' backfield belongs to Barkley. Bigsby is still worthy of a roster spot as the apparent next man up behind Barkley, but heading into a Week 11 matchup with the Lions, he has no standalone value.