The 2023 NFL regular season is nearly halfway over. Fantasy football players can start to see which of their draft picks were an excellent selection and which they were better off leaving for someone else in the league.
Thankfully, there are no teams on a bye in Week 8. However, fantasy players still have some difficult lineup decisions, especially at the running back position. One of those decisions could be between starting two Washington Commanders running backs — Brian Robinson and Chris Rodriguez. Let’s dive into it.
Brian Robinson’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Robinson is the RB11 for the year, averaging 12.5 half-PPR fantasy points per game. He has 85 rushing attempts for 325 yards and four touchdowns. The second-year running back also has 11 receptions for 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season.
After starting the year on fire, the former Alabama star has struggled lately. Robinson was the RB3, averaging 20.5 fantasy points per game over the first two weeks, scoring at least 13.1 in both contests. He had at least 18 rushing attempts and one touchdown in both games.
Unfortunately, the second-year player has struggled over the past five weeks. Since his hot start, the former Alabama star has been the RB18, averaging 9.3 fantasy points per game. He has scored fewer than 8.4 in three of the past five contests.
Chris Rodriguez’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The Commanders have struggled on offense lately. They have lost four of their past five games after starting the season on a two-game winning streak. Last week, Washington only scored seven points in the loss to the New York Giants.
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One thing the team has done to kick-start the offense is give Rodriguez more playing time. The rookie running back barely played over the first several weeks this season. He had three rushing attempts for seven yards in Week 1. Unfortunately, Rodriguez didn’t have a rushing attempt again until Week 6, totaling four attempts for 23 yards.
However, the former Kentucky running back played a career-high nine snaps last week against the Giants. He had seven rushing attempts for 31 yards in the loss, scoring 3.1 half-PPR fantasy points. While the rookie didn’t outscore Robinson, Rodriguez did outscore Antonio Gibson.
Which Commanders Running Back Should You Start?
According to the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, Robinson is the player to start. He is projected to score 8.4 half-PPR fantasy points. His projections include 59.8 rushing yards and 0.1 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s projection is for 2.7 fantasy points with 10.7 rushing yards and zero touchdowns this week.
I agree with the Start/Sit Optimizer. While the rookie earned more snaps last week, Robinson is still the starting running back for Washington. He has played well this year despite a struggling offensive line. Fantasy players should start Robinson over Rodriguez.
However, avoid starting either running back if you can. The Philadelphia Eagles have arguably the top run defense in the NFL. They have held running backs to only 11.4 half-PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the Eagles have given up only two rushing touchdowns to running backs this season.
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