Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: DNP due to calf Thursday
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Rodriguez (calf) was a non-participant in Thursday's practice.
Rodriguez still has two chances to raise his practice participation level before Washington reveals its Week 6 injury report for Monday's game against the Bears. If Rodriguez doesn't play against Chicago, that could open up more opportunities for Jeremy McNichols to work in a change-of-pace role behind lead back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Held to seven yards Sunday
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Rodriguez took five carries for seven yards and was not targeted as a receiver in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Chargers.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (14-111-2) stole the show on offense in Sunday's victory, leaving nothing but scraps for the rest of Washington's backfield committee. Rodriguez still finished second in running back touches ahead of Jeremy McNichols (1-6-0), but neither backup made a fantasy impact behind Croskey-Merritt's huge performance. With his teammate breaking out in impressive fashion, Rodriguez should remain waiver-wire fodder in Week 6 against the Bears.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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The Washington backfield is messy, but Rodriguez is worth stashing in case he starts to get more work moving forward. In Week 4 at Atlanta, Rodriguez had seven carries for 59 yards, which included a 48-yard run in the first quarter. He split time again with Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols, and all three are playing too much to trust any of them as starting Fantasy options in the majority of leagues. But Rodriguez now has 18 carries for 98 yards in the past two games since Austin Ekeler (Achilles) was injured but no targets, which limits his upside. That said, he could start to get more touches moving forward and is worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB, especially in non-PPR leagues.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Leading rusher in loss
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Rodriguez carried the ball seven times for 59 yards in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Falcons.
Most of his damage came on a 48-yard carry on the final play of the first quarter, but it was enough to lead the Commanders' backfield in rushing yards. Rodriguez watched rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt led all Washington backs in touches with nine, while Deebo Samuel also got three carries and Jeremy McNichols handled three touches, as the entire committee produced 6.7 yards per carry -- a situation that leaves none of those RBs as reliable fantasy plays without a consistent path to more volume. Rodriguez may need a TD to make a splash in Week 5 against the Chargers.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 4 Waiver Priority List
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In full disclosure, you might want to avoid the Commanders backfield altogether since it appears like we could have a three-way split for Rodriguez, Jacory Crosky-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols, and all three contributed in Week 3 against Las Vegas, which was the first game without Austin Ekeler (Achilles). Rodriguez, who was inactive for the first two games of the year, started and had 11 carries for 39 yards but no targets. Croskey-Merritt had eight carries for 26 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 5 yards on one target. And McNichols had four carries for 78 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 60-yard run where he broke multiple tackles. I still like Croskey-Merritt the best long-term, but Washington might lean on Rodriguez the most for now. He's worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Leads team with 11 carries
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Rodriguez took 11 carries for 39 yards in Sunday's 41-24 win over the Raiders.
A healthy scratch the previous two weeks, Rodriguez jumped right into the starting lineup in Washington's first game since Austin Ekeler suffered an Achilles' tear. Rodriguez played every snap on the first two drives, taking five carries for 29 yards in the process, before giving way to Jacory Croskey-Merritt for the third and fourth series. Jeremy McNichols then subbed in and broke off a 60-yard touchdown, and it wasn't until the fourth quarter that Rodriguez got carries again. When all was said and done, Rodriguez played 39 percent of Washington's snaps on offense, tied with Croskey-Merritt and ahead of McNichols (26 percent). Rodriguez also had the most carries, though not quite a majority, and he finished without a target. The Commanders likely will deploy a three-man backfield again when they travel to Atlanta in Week 4.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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There's an opening in Washington's backfield with Austin Ekeler (Achilles) out for the season, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt should benefit the most. But it's also worth seeing what could happen with Jeremy McNichols and Rodriguez. For now, I expect McNichols to step into Ekeler's role since the Commanders probably trust McNichols more in pass protection than Croskey-Merritt heading into Week 3. And Rodriguez, who was a healthy scratch in the first two weeks of the season, seems more like a backup for Croskey-Merritt. But with Ekeler out, things could change, and it's worth speculating on Rodriguez in deeper leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Healthy scratch Sunday
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Rodriguez (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Rodriguez thus is the odd man out in a Commanders backfield that will be playing without Brian Robinson following his trade to the 49ers on Aug. 22. Instead, some combination of Austin Ekeler, rookie seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols will be Washington's available running backs Sunday. Rodriguez's next chance to suit up will be Thursday at Green Bay.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Starts preseason finale
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Rodriguez started Saturday's 30-3 preseason loss to Baltimore and took five carries for 34 yards.
All five carries came on the opening drive, after which Jeremy McNichols came on. Rodriguez played well again, after ripping off a 40-yard gain the week before, but it's perhaps not the best sign for his Week 1 role that he was playing at all (while both Austin Ekeler and Jacory Croskey-Merritt were rested). There's been much speculation about the nature of Washington's likely backfield committee, with Brian Robinson recently traded to San Francisco after averaging 13.4 carries and 1.8 targets across 36.1 snaps in 14 regular-season games last year (958 total yards and eight TDs). Most of the fantasy interest centers on Ekeler and Croskey-Merritt, with Rodriguez potentially playing a spoiler role by handling some of the power running. Coach Dan Quinn was asked Thursday about Rodriguez handling short-yardage work and acknowledged the possibility, although Quinn also cautioned against assuming traditional backfield roles.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Favorite for goal-line work?
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Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Thursday that Rodriguez could be the team's goal-line back, although Quinn also commented that the team won't necessarily have traditional backfield roles, Commanders writer Ben Standig reports.
With Brian Robinson reportedly on the trade block and perhaps even at risk of being released, there's been a lot of recent discussion about what Washington's backfield might look like. Austin Ekeler is the safest bet for snaps and touches, but he's unlikely to handle a huge workload, leaving paths for Rodriguez, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and/or Jeremy McNichols to get involved. Most of the fantasy discussion has centered on Croskey-Merritt this summer, but Rodriguez got the start alongside QB Jayden Daniels in Washington's second preseason game and promptly broke off a 40-yard run on the opening drive. Croskey-Merritt then came on for the second series, while Ekeler was held out and McNichols played later on. A three-way committee between Ekeler, Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt is the most likely outcome for Week 1 against the Giants, regardless of various judgements and opinions on how things might play out from there. Rodriguez is worthy of a fantasy bench spot in most leagues while we wait to see just how things play out in Washington's backfield.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Finishes season with 173 rush yards
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Rodriguez finished the 2024 regular season with 35 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns and one catch for 12 yards.
The 2023 sixth-round pick spent much of the season on Washington's practice squad and was a healthy scratch for the final two playoff games, but he also had a few chances to handle a significant role when the team was missing either Brian Robinson or Austin Ekeler, both of whom are under contract through 2025. Rodriguez is set to be an exclusive rights free agent, which means he'll likely be back with the Commanders in a depth role at the league-minimum salary for a third-year player. There is some chance Rodriguez gets an opportunity to move up the depth chart, as he's averaged 4.9 yards on 86 career carries after a prolific college career at Kentucky.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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The Commanders are expected to play their starters in Week 18 at Dallas, but it might not be for the entire game. That could allow Rodriguez some additional touches if Brian Robinson Jr. is out, and Rodriguez looked good in Week 17 against Atlanta with five carries for 16 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 12 yards on one target. The Cowboys have allowed five running backs to score at least 13 PPR points in their past five games, so Rodriguez could be a potential flex option in deeper leagues.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Quiet in limited role
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Rodriguez carried once for two yards in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Saints.
Rodriguez played just three of the Commanders' 78 offensive snaps Sunday, far behind both Brian Robinson (58) and Jeremy McNichols (22). In six appearances during the 2024 campaign, the second-year running back has totaled just 27 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. Rodriguez would likely need injuries to either Robinson or McNichols to gain more fantasy relevance down the stretch. With limited opportunities, the Kentucky product can be ignored for fantasy purposes going forward. The Commanders host the Eagles in Week 16.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Week 14 Waiver Priority List
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I still view Rodriguez as the No. 3 running back in Washington behind Brian Robinson Jr. and Jeremy McNichols while Austin Ekeler (concussion) is out, but Rodriguez just continues to produce every time he gets an extended look. That happened again in Week 13 against Tennessee when he had 13 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown when he did most of his damage when the game was out of reach. That said, Washington could have bigger plans for him after the Week 14 bye, and Rodriguez is a good stash candidate for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Paces Commanders in rushing yards
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Rodriguez rushed the ball 11 times for 52 yards in Sunday's 27-22 win over the Giants.
Rodriguez was elevated from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game to account for the absence of Brian Robinson (hamstring). He tied for the team lead in rushing attempts and was surprisingly more effective than both Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols. This marked Rodrguez's third active game this season, though he had exclusively played on special teams on the first two occasions.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Elevated for Week 9
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The Commanders elevated Rodriguez from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
It's the third and final time this season that Washington can elevate Rodriguez from the practice squad. He'll give the Commanders depth at running back in case Brian Robinson (hamstring) is unable to play Sunday against the Giants.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Elevated off practice squad
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The Commanders elevated Rodriguez from their practice squad to their active roster Saturday ahead of Sunday's Week 6 clash with Baltimore.
Rodriguez was previously elevated ahead of Washington's Week 4 game against Arizona, but he didn't get any offensive snaps in the contest (though he did log six snaps on special teams). His elevation ahead of Week 6 comes as a result of starting tailback Brian Robinson being ruled out for the game due to a knee injury. Rodriguez could thus get some work against the Ravens on Sunday, though he's still behind Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols on the depth chart.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Joins active roster
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The Commanders elevated Rodriguez to their active roster Saturday.
Rodriguez's elevation ensures depth at running back due to Austin Ekeler (concussion) already being ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals. Expect the second-year pro to play behind both Brian Robinson and Jeremy McNichols in Week 4.
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Chris Rodriguez: Sticks around on practice squad
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The Commanders signed Rodriguez to the practice squad Wednesday.
The 2023 sixth-round pick appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Commanders in his rookie year, and over the last five games, Rodriguez turned 37 carries into 186 yards and two touchdowns while adding two catches for 12 yards. Despite that production, Rodriguez lost out to Jeremy McNichols for the No. 3 running back job behind Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler. Rodriguez will stick around with Washington on the practice squad, and he should be elevated to the active roster if Robinson, Ekeler or McNichols are unable to play.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Likely RB3 for Washington
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With the Commanders not selecting a running back in last month's draft, Rodriguez profiles as the team's No. 3 option at running back behind Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson,Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Per Standig, Rodriguez, who's presumably past his late-season ankle issue, appears to be the clear early-down backup to Robinson. However, with Ekeler also in the mix and destined to see plenty of touches, notably in passing situations, Rodriguez doesn't initially have a path to steady volume as the 2024 season approaches. As a rookie, the 2023 sixth-rounder recorded 51 carries for 247 yards and two TDs to go along with two catches for 12 yards in 13 regular-season contests. Also currently in the Commanders' depth RB mix are Jeremy McNichols, Austin Jones and Michael Wiley (thumb).
