Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Austin Ekeler

Sunday, November 16, 8:42 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had 13 carries for 81 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns during Sunday's Week 11 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also caught five of his six targets for an additional 40 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. The superstar running back continues to demonstrate excellence as a rusher and receiver, and his big game officially propelled him past Jonathan Taylor for the overall RB1 spot (PPR) through 11 weeks. Given that he was a late-first-round pick in most redraft leagues this year, managers are getting even more than they expected from the 29-year-old. He remains a must-start RB1 for Week 12 against his old team, the Carolina Panthers.

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.