Who Should I Start? Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Kimani Vidal


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
6.3 36.6 0.3 0.5 3.5 0.0

Chris Rodriguez Jr. News

Chris Rodriguez Jr. Back at Training Camp Practice

Wednesday, July 29, 10:56 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (foot) has returned to practice at training camp after suffering an offseason foot injury that required surgery, according to Jaguars senior reporter J.P. Shadrick. It's good news for Rodriguez's Week 1 availability, but he still hasn't been cleared for team drills early in camp, and he has only handled individual work to this point. The 25-year-old is expected to share backfield touches with Bhayshul Tuten in Duvall in his first year with the team in 2026, but Tuten has taken the early lead for clear RB1 duties in head coach Liam Coen's offense. C-Rod's familiarity with Coen dating back to his days in college at the University of Kentucky shouldn't be discounted, but the former sixth-rounder by the Washington Commanders in 2023 is looking like the clear RB2 for Jacksonville right now. Second-year back LeQuint Allen Jr. figures to be the team's primary third-down option in the backfield, which could leave Rodriguez without much weekly volume. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 39 fantasy RB for 2026. Rodriguez has work to do to earn a bigger role alongside Tuten.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.3 13.5 0.1 0.7 5.9 0.0

Kimani Vidal News

Kimani Vidal an Underrated Insurance Running Back

Thursday, July 23, 6:50 AM

While excitement continues to build around the Los Angeles Chargers' offense, an often overlooked player has become third-year running back Kimani Vidal. Omarion Hampton flashed enough in an injury-shortened rookie season to show why he was a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Keaton Mitchell's game-breaking speed makes his fit in a Mike McDaniel offense easy to envision, but it was Vidal who led the team in carries and rushing yards a season ago, and he could still serve an important role moving forward. While Mitchell has more standalone fantasy value as the likely change-of-pace back, he is ill-equipped to handle a full workload should Hampton miss time again in his second season, making Vidal more of the true handcuff in this offense. At RotoBaller's RB74, he is not a player who needs to be targeted in fantasy drafts, but Vidal should still be viewed as one of the league's more valuable insurance backs, especially with the Chargers expected to field a much healthier offensive line in 2026.


Chris Rodriguez Jr. vs. Kimani Vidal

Still trying to decide between Rodriguez Jr. and Vidal? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Chris Rodriguez Jr. is projected to score 6.3 points this week while Kimani Vidal is projected to score 3.3 points.