This season has been a struggle for the Washington Commanders‘ offense and many of their fantasy football pieces. Chris Rodriguez Jr. has yet to see more than seven opportunities in any game this year. Is he a worthwhile waiver addition?
Should Chris Rodriguez Jr. Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 14?
If you don’t know who rookie Rodriguez is or why he might be worth an addition to your fantasy roster, keep reading. This is about more than just Rodriguez, though, his opportunity comes because Brian Robinson left the game against Miami in Week 13.
Robinson has a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 13 against the Dolphins. As of Monday, during the writing of this article, the severity is unknown, but here are two things that are.
First, hamstring injuries are rough, and it’s likely Robinson will miss a few weeks regardless. Two, the Commanders aren’t making the playoffs, so why rush him back?
This brings us back to Rodriguez. Did you know that Robinson currently sits as RB5 in half-PPR scoring? Yes, he’s played an extra game, but still, the role has been incredibly fruitful.
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The early-down grinder has been a fantasy steal, seeing nearly 200 opportunities, and has just 10 yards shy of 1,000 total yards and eight TDs this season.
The final stretch of games isn’t easy for the Commanders. The Rams, Jets, and 49ers are three good defenses. New York is generous to fantasy RBs, Los Angeles is middle of the pack, and San Francisco is a brutal matchup. Rodriguez is in play for the first two matchups, though, and those are games it’s possible to likely that Robinson misses.
The elephant in the room, beyond how much time Robinson misses, is Antonio Gibson. Against Miami, Gibson saw a season-high 10 carries, along with five targets. Some of that was probably in part how quickly the Commanders fell behind the Dolphins by multiple scores. In a closer matchup, Washington typically leans into their bigger back more.
Still, it’ll be really hard to trust Rodriguez in the fantasy playoffs opener without knowing that info. If I had to guess, he likely sees around 50% of the snaps and 10-12 touches in the game, but it could push towards 20. The Rams matchup is middling, but can the Commanders stay close against L.A.’s offense?
Rodriguez was a solid, if unspectacular, player in college. With the caveat of I’ve only been watching film a couple of years, he reminded me of Tyler Allgeier in college. Mostly, he’s just nothing spectacular. He’ll get you the yardage blocked but not a ton more. He’s capable of catching passes, but also wasn’t a huge asset there.
Ultimately, Rodriguez is worth the waiver addition for managers who suffered a few injuries this week or deeper leagues but not much more. He’s a tough start in Week 15, and by Week 16, Robinson could be back.
With several good fantasy options like Robinson getting hurt, though, you may not have a choice. Just hope that Rodriguez can find the end zone.
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