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.

Monday, January 19, 1:52 PM

Updating a previous report, Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) suffered a torn ACL in his knee in Saturday's Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Charbonnet will require surgery and will not only miss the rest of the playoffs, but he'll most likely miss most of the 2026 season as well, given the timing of his injury. Before tearing his ACL, the 25-year-old third-year back ran the ball five times for 20 yards. Kenneth Walker had 19 carries for a season-high 116 yards and three touchdowns with Charbonnet out. It's a tough ending to Charbonnet's best season in the NFL, as he set career highs across the board during the regular season in carries (184), rushing yards (730), and rushing touchdowns (12). Walker should see a bigger workload the rest of the way in the postseason, with Velus Jones Jr. being elevated to the RB2 role.