Who Should I Start? Kareem Hunt or Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Saturday, October 25, 4:44 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt will play against the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Hunt was banged up this week with ankle and knee injuries, back he practiced in full on Saturday and will be active for Monday night's game. Hunt handled four carries for 18 yards in the 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. Hunt briefly exited last week's contest with an injury and was able to return, but was not needed since the Chiefs had a huge lead. The 30-year-old back has taken a backseat to Isiah Pacheco in recent weeks, handling just 10 carries in the last two games compared to 27 carries for Pacheco. That trend will likely continue given that Hunt has been the more inefficient back this season and the team has stated they'd like to get rookie Brashard Smith more involved each week. The matchup will also not help out Hunt since the Commanders have been middle-of-the-pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season. Hunt is ranked RB43 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings and should not find his way into fantasy lineups unless there are no other options available.

Saturday, October 25, 8:23 PM

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. got back into the rotation in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, handling three carries for 12 yards and scoring his first touchdown of the season. The touchdown came in garbage time, but it was an impressive play to reach across the goal line. Rodriguez played only one offensive snap in Week 6 against the Bears, but that could have been more related to his health, as he didn't practice at all during the week leading up to the game. He was cleared from the injury report ahead of Week 7 and should be all set for Monday night against the Chiefs. The 25-year-old has played almost exclusively on early downs this season for Washington and could mix in more with rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt going forward. Rodriguez is a better play in standard leagues because he doesn't add much as a receiver. He could find success if he gets enough opportunities against a Chiefs run defense that ranks 22nd in rush success rate (42.6%).