Chris Rodriguez (hand) cleared after three LPs

Rodriguez split time with lead back Bhayshul Tuten in the first half before soaking up most of the backfield work in the third quarter. Both backs would then cede primary duties to special team ace Ameer Abdullah in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand. Rodriguez has seen his fantasy value plummet of late with the emergence of Tuten as a borderline workhorse, a situation that was heavily influenced by Tuten’s lack of practice ahead of Thursday Night Football. The long week appears likely to provide the time needed for Tuten to return to full strength, leaving Rodriguez as a touchdown-dependent FLEX when the Jaguars face the Titans in Week 10.

Tuten did not practice on Tuesday. Coen told reporters he would get in a limited session today. Tuten himself told Coen he feels better today and he toughed it out through the injury on Sunday. He appears to be on the right side of questionable for Thursday’s contest, but fantasy managers will want to check inactives before kickoff to be sure. If he can’t go, Chris Rodriguez will get the bulk of the carries for the Jags.

This appears to be a non-issue as the veteran change of pace back should be fine for Thursday Night Football against the Ravens. Of greater concern was the absence of lead back Bayshul Tuten, something fantasy managers of both players will want to monitor as Thursday draw nearer. Rodriguez would seemingly be in line for a featured role if Tuten is unable to play on a short week.

Rodriguez was still getting out-snapped and out-produced by a percolating Bhayshul Tuten, but he managed to contribute a 28-yard score in a blowout victory. Rodriguez hit the hole then emerged to an abandoned mall of a Colts defense. With the Jaguars heading on the road for a short-week Thursday night date with a Ravens team operating without Lamar Jackson, expect lots of “get me out of here” Jags rushes in Baltimore, locking Rodriguez in as a Week 9 FLEX play.

He failed to catch his only target. Rodriguez was churning out success rate on the regular in the first half. The Jaguars curiously went away from him in the second half, as he played just 21-of-70 snaps and had only one carry after halftime. He’s not a must-hold through the bye week, but this game is the proof-of-concept that he can be an effective weapon for the Jaguars if they want to use him as a between-the-tackles pounder.

Rodriguez was all but phased out of the rotation in this game. His most notable touch was a goal line carry which he was stuffed on and then fumbled the ball away. He was called down on the field. Even though replay clearly showed him losing the ball, there was no clear recovery and the refs didn’t bother overturning the non-fumble. Rodriguez may still be the occasional touchdown vulture, but his role has been reduced to the point where fantasy managers can safely cut ties with him on the next run of waivers.

Rodriguez entered the game frequently when the Jaguars entered Bengals territory. He has a hold on short-yardage opportunities while also getting some red zone looks, but Bhayshul Tuten is the clear lead back. Rodriguez was out-snapped 36-to-15 but salvaged his fantasy day with a 25-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. He is a handcuff for fantasy purposes heading into Week 5.

Rodriguez remained the second option in the Jaguars backfield behind Bhayshul Tuten, but stole a short score from Tuten in the blowout victory. Through three games Rodriguez has been a between the tackles option who has next to no involvement in the passing game. He would only be fantasy viable if Tuten misses time this season. For now C-Rod is a decent stash as a contingency option.

Allen played on just one offensive snap in last week’s win over the Browns, but led the Jaguars in third-down snaps (146) last season. Despite all the snaps he saw on third down as a rookie, Allen never materialized into a viable fantasy option. Whether or not that changes this season is to be determined, but any additional snaps he receives on third down would come at the expense of Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez, after Rodriguez led the way with five third-down snaps last week. While Allen seeing additional work in these situations could be problematic for fantasy managers, they shouldn’t let that deter them from starting Tuten in Week 2 against the Broncos.

Rodriguez was the Jaguars’ second running back in the game, but equaled Bhayshul Tuten’s touches on the first drive. He was used both in the red zone and short-yardage situations early on; Rodriguez tied for the lead in backfield snaps in the first half. The game was out of reach in the second half, with Ameer Abdullah taking on garbage time carries and Rodriguez finishing the game second in backfield snaps. Fantasy managers will like the high-leverage utilization but a lack of receiving upside caps Rodriguez’ ceiling. He is firmly in the RB4 range for Week 2 against the Broncos.