Rodriguez rushed three times for 12 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 44-22 loss to the Cowboys.
The 25-year-old from Kentucky played a depth role in the Commanders' backfield again in the Week 7 loss, playing behind rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt (13 carries for 33 yards) and Jeremy McNichols (two carries for 22 yards). However, Rodriguez was the only running back to find the end zone, receiving a goal-line carry in the third quarter. He's now rushed 26 times for 117 yards and one touchdown through five appearances this season. Expect Rodriguez to play a reserve role in Washington's backfield again in Week 8, when the team travels to Kansas City.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Clear for Week 7
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Rodriguez (calf) practiced fully Friday and doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game at Dallas, Commanders writer Ben Standig reports.
Rodriguez practiced for the first time since Week 5 prep as he tended to a calf injury the last two weeks. Friday's uncapped session likely indicates that he's close to 100 percent, but it's unclear if he'll be able to carve out much of a role behind starter Jacory Croskey-Merritt and complementary option Jeremy McNichols in the Commanders backfield this weekend. Rodriguez logged just one offensive snap during Monday's loss to the Bears, failing to see a touch for the first time in his four appearances this season.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: DNP at walkthrough
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Rodriguez (calf) missed Wednesday's jog-through.
Rodriguez has been listed as a DNP on four straight injury reports due to a calf injury, but he logged one snap on offense and three on special teams during Monday's loss to the Bears. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (66 percent snap share) and Jeremy McNichols (32 percent) ultimately handled the rest of the backfield reps and likely will continue to do so moving forward, even when Rodriguez's health is back to normal.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Suiting up Monday
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Rodriguez (calf) is active for Monday's game against the Bears.
Despite not practicing in any capacity due to a calf injury in advance of this contest, Rodriguez will be available to the Commanders offense, but in what role remains to be seen. Washington didn't elevate a running back from the practice squad Monday, instead opting to bring up two wide receivers to support a banged-up group, so Rodriguez seemingly has a good chance to mix into the backfield behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt along with Jeremy McNichols. In three prior outings with that trio available, Rodriguez racked up 23 carries for 105 yards and no touchdowns.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Status in question for Monday
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Rodriguez (calf) is listed as questionable for Monday's game versus the Bears.
Rodriguez officially was listed as a DNP on all three of the Commanders' Week 6 practice reports due to a calf injury, but the team still is giving him a chance to suit up Monday. Even if he's available, though, he'll be a complementary option at best along with Jeremy McNichols behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Such a role has amounted to 23 carries for 105 yards and no touchdowns and zero targets in three contests this season.
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Commanders' Chris Rodriguez: Listed as DNP on Friday
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Rodriguez (calf) is listed as a non-participant on Friday's practice estimate.
Rodriguez didn't practice Thursday and apparently wouldn't have partaken Friday if the Commanders had held a practice. A return Saturday could still give him a chance to play Monday against the Bears, though all signs point to Jacory Croskey-Merritt leading Washington's backfield this week.
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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 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: 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.
