Chris Rodriguez Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Washington Commanders employed a full-on committee backfield in their 44-22 Week 10 loss to the Detroit Lions. Including QB Marcus Mariota, four players received 5-plus carries, but the results were modest. Washington totaled 93 rushing yards and one TD on 27 carries.

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez suffered a shoulder injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Lions and is officially questionable to return. He got the start in this one and was splitting carries with RB Jacory Croskey-Merrritt. We'll update Rodriguez's status when we know more.

Grant Paulsen of 1067 The Fan expects to see "a lot" of Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez vs. the Lions on Sunday. Paulsen notes that Rodriguez was named a team captain for the game. That could mean absolutely nothing for his Week 10 role, but it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if Rodriguez stole some work from RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The rookie has struggled lately, mustering just 3.1 yards per carry over his last four games. Rodriguez has averaged 4.9 over that same span and posted a season-best 12-65-1 rushing line in last week's blowout loss to the Seahawks. We'll keep tabs on the backfield usage tomorrow, but it's a situation to avoid in Week 10 fantasy lineups.

Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt didn't help your fantasy team in Week 6 nearly as much as he did the week before. He managed just 61 yards on 17 carries against what's been a weak Bears fun defense. But those 17 carries marked a second straight season high, and the rookie increased his season high for playing time by a significant margin. RB Chris Rodriguez played just a single snap, while RB Jeremy McNichols played less than half as many snaps as JCM and even trailed the starter in pass routes.

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez (calf) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Bears. He didn’t practice at all this week, so it’s safe to assume he won’t be at 100% for this one. We’re fully expecting rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt to control backfield work tonight.

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez (calf) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Bears. He didn't practice all week, so he's seemingly on the wrong side of 50/50. Rodriguez shouldn't be in Week 6 fantasy lineups, but his absence would make RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt an even stronger play.

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez (calf) has missed the first two practices of the week, putting his availability for Monday night's game vs. the Bears in doubt. Rodriguez has seemingly fallen clear behind RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the pecking order and shouldn't be in your Week 6 fantasy plans. But his absence would make Croskey-Merritt an even stronger fantasy start. We'll see how Rodriguez is listed on the final injury report on Saturday.

Rookie RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt drew his first official start and made it count, rushing 14 times for 111 yards and a pair of TDs in Washington's 27-10 victory over the Chargers. Croskey Merritt scored Washington's first TD on a 15-yard run in the second quarter. In the third quarter, he added a 5-yard scoring run to give the Commanders the lead for good.

The fantasy-unfriendly three-man backfield committee that the Washington Commanders utilized in Week 3 carried over into Week 4. The Commanders had some success on the ground, rushing 22 times for 147 yards (6.7 yards per carry), but ultimately came up short, losing 34-27 in Atlanta.

Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. We didn't see the rookie get banged up in the Week 3 win over the Raiders and don't have any details on this knee issue. We'll see if he gets back on the field tomorrow. Croskey-Merritt's absence would leave Chris Rodriguez as Washington's lead early-down back and a potential fantasy starter. RB Jeremy McNichols could also pick up extra carries.

The Commanders' RB situation was muddled even more against the Raiders. Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 23 snaps just edged out Chris Rodriguez’s 22. Jeremy McNichols had 15 himself, which included a long TD run. It may be tough to start a Commanders’ RB going forward.

The Commanders believe RB Austin Ekeler tore his right Achilles in Thursday night's loss to the Packers, according to multiple reports. That's what it looked like when he went down late in the fourth quarter of a game that was already decided. Ekeler is undergoing additional testing on Friday to confirm the diagnosis. It'd be a season-ending injury and could threaten Ekeler's career. He's 30 and set to hit free agency this offseason. What's his absence mean for Washington's backfield going forward? Let's dig in.

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez is a healthy scratch for today’s game vs. the Giants. RBs Austin Ekeler, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jeremy McNichols are active for Washington. McNichols notably plays special teams, while Rodriguez does not. The news makes Croskey-Merritt a safer Week 1 fantasy play. We’re projecting him to lead in early-down snaps, while Ekeler mixes in and dominates passing-down work.

After plenty of trade speculation, the Washington Commanders have traded RB Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Commanders HC Dan Quinn said Thursday that RB Chris Rodriguez will likely be the team's short-yardage and goal-line back with RB Brian Robinson headed out of town. "Chris has that tackle-breaking ability, especially in a small space," Quinn said.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson was held out of Monday night's preseason game amid reports that he'll be traded or released. RB Chris Rodriguez drew the start and played all four snaps on QB Jayden Daniels' lone drive. Rodriguez and RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt worked in a rotation the rest of the first half, with RB Jeremy McNichols handling obvious passing-down snaps. (RB Austin Ekeler did not play.) Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt both ran well. Rodriguez ripped off this 40-yarder on Washington's second offensive snap, finishing with six carries for 62 yards. Croskey-Merritt broke loose for this 27-yard TD and finished with 46 yards on 11 carries.

The Athletic's Ben Standig highlighted RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt as a standout in the team's recent rookie camp. Standig was particularly impressed by Croskey-Merritt's agility and burst, elements that Washington's backfield lacked last year. "If this proves to be real," Standig said of Croskey-Merritt's performance, "this is the element this offense could use. ... If you ask me for a bold prediction, I could see Croskey-Merritt getting into the [RB] rotation."