Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Tony Pollard

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, October 10, 9:33 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard continues to be a solid contributor early in the season. Last week, Pollard rushed the ball 14 times for 67 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Arizona Cardinals. Pollard has rushed for 60 yards or more in four of his first five games of the season. The return of Tyjae Spears figures to slowly take away some of Pollard's value, but for now fantasy managers shouldn't be worried. Pollard has a plus matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders defense in Week 6. He should be able to offer low-end RB2 value for this weekend. Pollard continues succeeding, so the Titans are likely going to continue feeding him the ball.