Chris Rodriguez Fantasy Overview

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Rodriguez was a healthy scratch for the first two weeks before earning starts in weeks 3 and 4 in a struggling Commanders backfield. After an uneven start, he closed strong with double-digit carries in six of his final seven games.

The raw numbers were modest given the limited opportunity: 112 carries for 500 yards and 6 TDs across 13 games, with just 3 receptions (on 4 targets) for 30 yards. He finished as RB51 in fantasy points per game (7.1).

Rodriguez had no top-12 and just three top-24 fantasy finishes. He’s only had one top-12 finish in his three-year career on the Commanders.

But Rodriguez’s 2025 production was better than the raw numbers indicated. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry (17th among 51 RBs with 90+ carries) and 3.46 yards after contact per attempt, which ranked eighth in the league.

Efficiency & Regression

That after-contact number isn't a one-year blip either -- Rodriguez has led all RBs with 100-plus attempts in yards after contact per attempt over the last two seasons combined at 3.0. Rodriguez breaks tackles consistently, making him an effective short yardage back who can pick up more than expected.

His 0.70 rushing yards over expected per attempt ranked 13th among qualified RBs. Those numbers tell you he's consistently doing more with his carries than the blocking would predict.

Even with that efficiency, Rodriguez never earned a strong share of the workload. His 34.2% carry share ranked 48th in a weak Commanders RB room alongside seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt and receiving back Jeremy McNichols.

Another major concern is that his receiving profile is thin. He has only had six total catches in his NFL career. Even the 2021 season he spent with Liam Coen as his OC at Kentucky found Rodriguez catching just 13 balls. He totaled 20 receptions for his five-year college run.

Projected Role & Competition

Jacksonville signed Rodriguez to a two-year, $10 million contract this offseason and dropped him into an open backfield after Travis Etienne's exit. He will compete with second-year RBs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen, both Day 3 picks from last year.

The Coen connection helps Rodriguez's case. That 2021 campaign produced Rodriguez’s biggest college numbers:

• 225 carries
• 1,379 yards
• 9 TDs
• 6.1 yards per carry
• 13 receptions
• 61 yards
• 3 TDs

That familiarity with Coen could give Rodriguez a head start in both installation and trust, helping him get on the field early.

Supporting Cast

There is an early speed bump, though. Rodriguez had surgery on his left foot earlier this offseason. He is expected back by training camp, but we’ll have to monitor that return and how reps get split among Jacksonville RBs in camp.

Tuten's athletic profile still makes him the favorite to lead this backfield in carries. His 4.32-second 40 time, 40.5-inch vertical, and 10’10 broad jump produced a 9.56 Relative Athletic Score entering the NFL, and he backed that up last season by ranking 14th in yards after contact per attempt (3.0).

Tuten has the talent to be the lead back with Rodriguez handling short yardage duties.

Paths To Ceiling

Rodriguez’s best outcome -- barring injury to Tuten -- would find him leading carries in a committee backfield for a high-powered Jacksonville offense that scored the sixth-most TDs in the NFL last season (29).

That type of role and the TD potential could make Rodriguez an attractive non-PPR play and decent half-PPR option. His pro and college records, though, tell us we shouldn’t expect much on the receiving front.

That’ll make it tough for Rodriguez to be startable in PPR formats, outside of the deepest fantasy leagues.

If Rodriguez splits early-down work with Tuten or trails him in that area, then he’d remain bench fodder for fantasy leagues and difficult to like outside of best ball formats.