With a Christmas Day game on deck for the Washington Commanders playing host to the Dallas Cowboys, they got bad news about the availability of one of their running backs.
Added late to the injury report, Chris Rodriguez Jr. is now inactive against the Cowboys. He was added late as questionable early Thursday, popping up on the report due to an illness.
In the grand scheme of things, it's not a major shift considering it's a non-playing injury and both teams have been eliminated from postseason contention already. But it could impact playing time and the minutiae of strategy in this particular contest.
Full list of inactives for Commanders vs. Cowboys
Commanders inactives
- QB Jayden Daniels
- QB Marcus Mariota
- QB Sam Hartman
- RB Chris Rodriguez
- LT Laremy Tunsil
- LB Nick Bellore
- DT Daron Payne
The Commanders being down their first-string, second-string, and emergency third QB means they will turn to Josh Johnson instead.
Cowboys inactives
- LB DeMarvion Overshown
- WR Ryan Flournoy
- CB Caelen Carson
- RB Jaydon Blue
- Jay Toia
- DT Perrion Winfrey
Commanders late injury addition of interest to fantasy football managers
Most interested in the news will likely be fantasy managers who have either Rodriguez or another Commanders running back (like Jacory Croskey-Merritt) on their roster. Week 17 is the fantasy championship for most leagues, so the margins can be the final factor in winning leagues or going home with second place. Rodriguez was a popular streamer option for managers in need of a backfield option this week, but this certainly changes that logic.
Rodriguez, if he plays, figures to be possibly limited due to his illness. Croskey-Merritt could be a rushing attempts beneficiary in such a scenario, but it remains to be seen exactly how much the touch share would change given the suddenness of the change.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt starting splits 2025
| Starter/reserve | Rushing attempts | Rushing yards | Pass targets | Receiving yards | Fantasy points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 13 | 53.6 | 1.4 | 9.6 | 7.92 |
| Non-starter | 8.6 | 40.3 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.63 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Commanders Make Late RB Addition to Christmas Day Injury Report.
