Chris

Rodriguez

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.

As expected, Allen did not practice Wednesday. It’s not that fantasy managers were eager to start Allen this week, but his absence would open up more routes and potential targets for Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez, who are listed as co-starters on Jacksonville’s Week 1 depth chart. Both C-Rod and Tuten would be slightly better options if Allen is sidelined this weekend.

Shipley hedges a bit by noting that there’s a chance that one back simply carries the momentum early in the season forward and never lets up, but ultimately falls on the idea that neither back is likely to hit 1,000 rushing yards in 2026. “I think there is a more likely chance we see both running backs hit 750+ yards than one of them hit 1,000,” Shipley writes. Such a split would probably lean towards Rodriguez at the goal line, making him slightly more fantasy-valuable on a weekly basis barring big plays from Tuten. If this prediction comes true, both backs might have trouble cracking the weekly RB2 ranks.

Coen talked up Ameer Abdullah as a potential replacement for Allen’s duties in pass protection. He also singled out Chris Rodriguez’s abilities in pass pro. Pass protection duties aren’t a direct source of fantasy value, but it usually means that player will be on the field for the two-minute drill, which can generate plenty of receptions for running backs. Bhayshul Tuten not getting those reps would be a notable ding to his fantasy outlook. Allen himself isn’t on the fantasy radar, healthy or not.

Allen suffered a soft tissue injury during Monday’s practice and the Jaguars announced Tuesday morning that he’ll miss the rest of training camp. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season. While Allen doesn’t have standalone fantasy value, he seemed destined for a legitimate role as the primary receiving back in this offense. If Allen misses time in the regular season, it would boost receiving opportunities for Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez.