While Chris Rodriguez proved he can be highly efficient on the ground last season, his overall profile remains incredibly one-dimensional. Throughout his NFL career, just 2.9% of his total touches (6 out of 204) have been receptions. That glaring lack of involvement in the passing game severely caps his baseline value in PPR formats, heavily restricting his weekly ceiling to games where he manages to fall into the end zone.
Should You Draft Chris Rodriguez Jr. in Fantasy Football?
I understand the general optimism here. In 2026 drafts, Rodriguez is going around pick 150, and he’s a cheap way to get exposure to an ambiguous backfield in Jacksonville, which we think is going to be a top-10 offense. We saw him take off after Jakobi Meyers came over, and after Parker Washington exploded, and after Brian Thomas kind of forgot what he was doing. If Thomas gets going, this could be a top-five offense without really having to squint.
But I don’t want this Rodriguez profile, unless you really think the Jags are going to win a dozen games and dominate. If you ever wondered what Derrick Henry’s skill set looked like but regressed by 50%, I think that’s what you’re looking at here. There’s no versatility in this profile. For years, we told ourselves that was the reason you couldn’t draft Derrick Henry. Fade, fade, fade. You can’t score a dozen rushing touchdowns every year. Turns out Derrick Henry can, but not everybody’s Derrick Henry, especially not Rodriguez. He’s just ordinary.
They have Bhayshul Tuten on this roster, who they drafted to take over this role. He’s not a versatile threat either. They’ve got four receivers, so I’m not sure you really need him to be, but he’s slightly more versatile than Rodriguez, and I think he’s slightly more explosive than Rodriguez. If Rodriguez is bashing his head between the tackles for three yards and a cloud of dust between the 20s, let that be somebody else’s problem.
I understand that volume is king these days, and he’s probably going to get a decent amount of it, at least to open the season, and people are going to see 15 carries and be intrigued by that. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve to be rostered, but how far is 15 carries for 55 yards realistically going to get you? You’re depending on a touchdown. That’s not the type of bet I like to make at the running back position.
If I’m flexing somebody, give me an upside receiver over a profile like this. A guy like Matthew Golden, could he hit a deep target? That’s one catch that outdoes everything Rodriguez does. I think teammate Jakobi Meyers is underrated too. You’re talking about a PPR scam at some level, but if he’s getting 6, 7, 8 targets that are valuable and he’s catching 5 of them, he’s going to outproduce Rodriguez more often than not in PPR formats.
It’s Tuten or bust for me for the Jags backfield, and I’m kind of in on him. I’m in on this offense as a whole. I just don’t want any shares of Rodriguez.
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Chris Rodriguez Jr.’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
There were 85 running backs last season who caught more than 6 passes.
Rodriguez was drafted in 2023.
Six of his 204 career touches have been receptions.
This is a thin profile that needs Derrick Henry-like usage to feel good about. The Jags gave you $10 million for two years, and that’s not nothing, but with Bhayshul Tuten (2025 fourth-round pick who touched the ball 93 times for this team last year) being the in-house replacement for Travis Etienne, I’m having an impossible time getting enough work put in front of Rodriguez for him to be appealing in any sense.
Just because I’m out on him doesn’t mean you cut ties: even in my world, he’s one injury away from owning a backfield on an offense with top-10 upside.
He’s not close to my Week 1 lineup.
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Where Rodriguez Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Woody Marks | HOU
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Keaton Mitchell | LAC
Know the position inside and out with every RB, ranked, on PFN's 2026 PPR Board.
