Who Should I Start? Kenny Gainwell or Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Wednesday, August 26, 8:22 AM

Sports Illustrated's John Shipley points out that Jacksonville Jaguars running backs Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten got seemingly equal reps throughout the entire training camp practice on Wednesday, but when the team went to their end-of-game drill in the final portion of practice, it was Rodriguez "who got the nod at RB." It mostly meant pass protection for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, although the Jags did throw a screen to Rodriguez earlier on the drive. It is important to note that pass-catching back LeQuint Allen Jr. (undisclosed) is out with a soft-tissue injury and will miss the rest of camp. Without Allen, there is a clear void when it comes to the passing-down depth chart. Shipley recently stated that he thinks C-Rod is the team's best pass-protecting RB with Allen injured, which means his fantasy stock could receive a significant early-season boost if Allen is not ready to handle his normal pass-blocking and third-down role. The 25-year-old Rodriguez has been lauded this summer for his power running as well, and his previous experience with head coach Liam Coen in college at Kentucky could eventually give him the upper hand over Tuten in 2026, despite Tuten's obvious explosive tendencies and home run ability at the position.