Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Zach Charbonnet

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, January 9, 2:50 PM

Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet will enjoy a well-earned week of rest, with the Seahawks having secured the NFC's top seed, and when he returns to action for the Divisional Round, he will be looking to extend his three-game touchdown streak. Charbonnet found the end zone four times over the final three games of the regular season, finishing no lower than RB17 in Half-PPR formats during that time, including back-to-back top-6 performances to close the season. More impressively, all three games came against NFC teams that qualified for the playoffs. After finishing the regular season with 12 rushing touchdowns in a split backfield, Charbonnet should be viewed as a boom or bust running back option in fantasy playoff leagues, with his recent history suggesting a likelihood to boom.