Who Should I Start? Roschon Johnson or Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Thursday, September 4, 6:33 PM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (foot) is on the Week 1 injury report and was unable to take part in the first practice of the week on Thursday as the club prepares for a divisional clash in the season opener on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie Kyle Monangai (hamstring) is also on the injury report, but he was limited in Thursday's practice. It's still early, but Chicago's backfield is banged up going into their season opener. It's something that fantasy managers in deeper leagues should monitor if they're concerned about their RB depth. The 24-year-old Johnson didn't play in the preseason finale two weeks ago and could be in danger of missing Week 1, which could allow Monangai to have a bigger role right away behind D'Andre Swift. Johnson is merely a handcuff for those that have Swift rostered.

Wednesday, September 3, 4:23 PM

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was deployed as the No. 4 option during the team drills on Wednesday. According to JP Finaly of NBC4, during a QB/RB drill, Rodriguez was the fourth running back to take the field. Veteran Austin Ekeler continued to slot in as the top option while Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols served as the No. 2 and No. 3 options. This situation is worth closely monitoring as Rodriguez was initially listed as the third option on the depth chart earlier in the week, but appears to have been jumped by the seventh-round rookie, Croskey-Merritt. Last season, Rodriguez had a limited role in the offense but showed potential at times, posting a strong 4.9 YPC. Given his unknown role in the season opener, he is best left for deeper 14+ team formats as a high-risk flex option.