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 (six 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 I Draft Chris Rodriguez Jr. in Fantasy Football?
I mentioned the efficiency from last season, and that needs to be given context. He ranked seventh in fantasy points per rush among the 49 running backs with 100 or more carries, placing him ahead of stars like James Cook and Bijan Robinson.
Unfortunately, the high-leverage scoring equity in this offense seems destined to flow through his primary competition, Bhayshul Tuten. Although Rodriguez theoretically offers more proven volume with three career games of 15-plus touches (which is exactly three more than Tuten has produced), the true upside in this backfield pretty clearly belongs to Tuten given his versatile skill set.
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Tuten is more involved through the air, with 10.8% of his 93 touches being receptions last season, after catching 13.2% of his 692 touches in college. That’s still an underwhelming rate, but in Jacksonville, it’s enough.
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More importantly, Tuten dominated near the goal line, converting five of his eight carries inside the 10-yard line into touchdowns last year.
Because of those structural roadblocks, Rodriguez is more of a contingent play in my eyes than a true threat to wrestle away RB1 honors from Tuten. Even if we haven’t seen Tuten handle massive volume to date, his skill set and upside fit this offense better. Barring a significant injury ahead of him, Rodriguez is a narrow-range-of-outcomes player who simply won’t be on the field nearly enough, particularly on passing downs, to generate reliable fantasy buzz.
Kyle Soppe’s RB Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Bijan Robinson | ATL
- Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
- James Cook III | BUF
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Jonathan Taylor | IND
- Christian McCaffrey | SF
- De’Von Achane | MIA
- Saquon Barkley | PHI
- Chase Brown | CIN
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- D’Andre Swift | CHI
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- Josh Jacobs | GB
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- Kenny Gainwell | TB
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- Tony Pollard | TEN
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Blake Corum | LAR
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- Isiah Pacheco | DET
- Nick Singleton | TEN
- James Conner | ARI
- Kimani Vidal | LAC
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG
- Jaylen Wright | MIA
- Woody Marks | HOU
