Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or TreVeyon Henderson

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.

Wednesday, October 8, 2:11 AM

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson continues to make a push for more opportunities within the offense, but he hasn't seen much change in his fantasy value after five weeks of the NFL season. The Patriots continue to lean on Rhamondre Stevenson a little more than Henderson, even after the former lost three fumbles in three games. Stevenson touched the ball nine times on Sunday and was set up for two easy touchdowns despite averaging just two yards per carry. On the other hand, Henderson had eight touches and averaged four yards per carry, but still played less than half of the offensive snaps. He'll need to carve out a much larger snap share or start getting involved as a primary target for Drake Maye in the passing game before he becomes a worthwhile fantasy starter. In the meantime, he should be stashed on the bench.