Who Should I Start? Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Brashard Smith

Thursday, April 30, 11:04 AM

John Shipley of Sports Illustrated has Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. listed atop the team's RB depth chart ahead of training camp. His gut feeling says that Rodriguez will lead the team in carries, but then writes that he doesn't know if there will be "enough of a difference between his workload" and Bhayshul Tuten's. LeQuint Allen Jr. projects as the RB3 as the top passing-down back, while DeeJay Dallas and undrafted rookie J'Mari Taylor will battle for the RB4 spot. Travis Etienne Jr. is now in New Orleans, which was paving the way for Tuten to be an easy breakout candidate in fantasy football in 2026, until the Jags signed C-Rod. The 25-year-old got a two-year, $10 million deal from Jacksonville, and he has familiarity with head coach Liam Coen from their time at Kentucky. Tuten surely has plenty of explosive potential, but the team also likes Rodriguez's abilities as a tough inside runner. Rodriguez averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his three seasons with the Commanders, and he added seven total touchdowns in 13 games in 2025. Right now, both Rodriguez and Tuten are shaping up to be WR3/flex options every week in fantasy if their workload is split mostly down the middle.