Who Should I Start? Jordan Mason or Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Saturday, March 15, 10:52 PM

The Minnesota Vikings acquired running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday and signed him to a two-year deal with over $7 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The maximum value of the deal is for $12 million. The Niners placed a second-round tender (worth $5.3 million) on Mason, who was a restricted free agent, but he'll now head to the NFC North, where he'll serve as the backup to Aaron Jones. San Fran also sent the 187th pick in this year's draft in exchange for the 160th pick in the draft and a sixth-round pick in 2026. The 25-year-old was one of the best waiver-wire pickups in fantasy a year ago after taking over for Christian McCaffrey as the Niners' lead back. He had 789 rushing yards and three TDs on 153 carries in 12 games (six starts) before ending the year with an ankle injury. Mason won't have much standalone fantasy value in 2025 but will be a fine handcuff for those that roster Jones.

Friday, January 3, 5:29 PM

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. remains a desperation play heading into a Week 18 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Last weekend, Rodriguez found the back of the end zone and added 16 yards on five attempts. For the second straight week, Rodriguez saw more rushing attempts than the presumed No.2 option, Jeremy McNichols. However, Rodriguez may revert to the No.3 role if Austin Ekeler (concussion) returns to action. He was able to practice in full all week and is listed as questionable which suggests he is nearing a return. If Ekeler does not return, Rodriguez would be viewed as a high-risk touchdown-dependent RB3. However, if Ekeler does return, fantasy managers should not view Rodriguez as a viable play facing the Dallas Cowboys as he would only see a handful of snaps.