Chris Rodriguez Jr. start or sit: Week 17 fantasy football advice

Game day update: The Commanders added Rodriguez to the injury report on Thursday morning with an illness. It’s unclear what it means for the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, so keep an eye out for inactives, which will arrive at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season will kick off with a Christmas triple-header today and the first matchup will feature the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Washington Commanders at 1 p.m. ET on Netflix.

The Commanders are just counting down the days until the season ends and got overpowered in a 29-18 loss to the Eagles last Saturday. They at least got another productive outing out of running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. and it appears that he’ll be holding down the fort in the backfield for the rest of the way.

Below, we’ll go over Rodriguez’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 17.

Fantasy Football analysis: Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Rodriguez continued to take command of the Commanders’ backfield in last Saturday’s loss to the Eagles, putting together a solid performance with 15 carries for 63 rushing yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that made the score more respectable. He has continued to shoulder a bulk of the workload since their bye last month and Saturday’s loss was the first time where he was on the field for over 50% of the offensive snaps this season.

Start or sit in Week 17?

Start. Whether it’s Marcus Mariota or Josh Johnson starting at quarterback for the Commanders today, I still expect Rodriguez to get a bulk of carries for the holiday showdown. With nothing to play for, he may end up being the primary offensive weapon and could get fed a ton of carries in this one. Start him.