Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Woody Marks

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.

Saturday, October 25, 9:15 AM

Houston Texans running back Woody Marks had a monster game in Week 4 that made him one of the hottest names on the waiver wire market. He had a down game in Week 5 before his bye week, though, causing many to question his role going forward. When the Texans returned on Monday in Seattle, he only had 15 rushing yards on 10 carries but did add three catches for 20 receiving yards and a touchdown. Even more encouraging for his value, he played a season-high 63% of snaps, compared to just 25% of snaps for Nick Chubb. Part of that could have been due to the game script with the Texans playing from behind, but it seems like the rookie is gaining more work in the timeshare. Marks has good upside against the 49ers in Week 8 as a flex play. He is ranked as the No. 27 RB in RotoBaller's rankings for this week, making him a RB3 or flex option against the 49ers, who have allowed seven running back touchdowns in seven games on the season, including five in the last three games.