Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Rico Dowdle News
Friday, April 17, 12:28 PM
Veteran running back Rico Dowdle had a standout year with the Carolina Panthers in 2025, racking up 1,373 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns on 275 touches across 17 games. The 27-year-old parlayed his strong season into a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he will likely share lead running back duties with Steelers back Jaylen Warren. Dowdle is the stronger short-area and goal-line back between the two, which could lead to him earning a larger role in the red zone. However, Warren is a standout pass-catcher, which might lead to a drop-off in Dowdle's fantasy value in PPR formats. Dowdle was able to thrive while paired with Panthers back Chuba Hubbard in 2025, so he's proven the ability to provide fantasy production in a split backfield. Still, dynasty managers may want to value Dowdle more as an RB3/flex option than a no-doubt starter at the running back position.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Chris Rodriguez Jr. News
Saturday, April 11, 8:48 PM
The Jacksonville Jaguars went out and signed running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. to a two-year, $10 million deal this offseason. He replaces Travis Etienne Jr. in the Jags' backfield, but that doesn't mean that we should pencil Rodriguez in to acquire all of Etienne's vacated carries (260) and targets (52). Rather, Rodriguez will compete with Bhayshul Tuten for the lead-back role during training camp, and third-string running back LeQuint Allen should also carve out significant volume as a passing-down specialist. Therefore, Rodriguez's ceiling isn't RB10, where Etienne ranked in 2025, but rather a mid-range RB2. The same can be said for Tuten. The good news is that Rodriguez presumably fills a hole the Jaguars' front office believed they had. Otherwise, they wouldn't have actively gone out and signed him to a multi-year deal. He's not a lock to finish 2026 as a top-36 fantasy running back, but there's RB3/flex value here if the backfield ends up split, and he has RB2 upside if he wins the lead-back role.
Rico Dowdle vs. Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Still trying to decide between Dowdle and Rodriguez Jr.? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Rico Dowdle is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Chris Rodriguez Jr. is projected to score 0.0 points.
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