Who Should I Start? Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Bhayshul Tuten

Monday, December 15, 10:42 AM

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) was a late scratch before his team's Week 15 win over the New York Giants due to a groin injury. In his absence, Commanders back Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the way with 18 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. However, Rodriguez Jr. had emerged as the lead rusher in Washington before getting hurt. Across three games leading into Week 15, the 25-year-old racked up 172 rushing yards and a touchdown on 36 carries. Croskey-Merritt's stellar performance against the Giants may lead to more of a split backfield in Washington going forward. Still, in fantasy leagues where Rodriguez Jr. is available on the waiver wire, he should be targeted heading into his team's Week 16 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Monday, December 15, 3:48 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten (finger) will have surgery to fix a finger injury that he suffered in Sunday's blowout win over the New York Jets, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Tuten will miss a few weeks but should be back for the playoffs. There are only three games remaining in the regular season, so the Jags might shut Tuten down until the start of the postseason. The 22-year-old fourth-round selection has been a nice, explosive complement in Jacksonville's backfield this season next to starter Travis Etienne Jr., carrying the ball 78 times for 284 yards (3.6 yards per tote) and four rushing touchdowns, adding 10 catches for 79 yards and two more scores in 14 games. Tuten touched the ball only twice on Sunday, but one of those touches resulted in a one-yard TD reception. Fellow rookie LeQuint Allen Jr. will serve in the RB2 role for the Jags behind Etienne for however long Tuten is sidelined.