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I think Jacquizz Rodgers could very well be my favorite name in all of football.
I mean, it’s awesome. You can call him Quizz. Not many players present that opportunity. However, all kidding aside, I was as impressed with Rodgers’ Week 3 performance as I am with his name, and he warrants fantasy attention for the immediate future. With Steven Jackson sidelined until upwards to Week 7, Rodgers has a chance to prove his worth, and he got off to a strong start. Against the Dolphins, Rodgers played on just over 60 percent of the snaps, while Jason Snelling played on 34 snaps. Rodgers ran the ball extremely well in a tough matchup, carrying the ball 18 times for a career-high 86 yards. He also added two catches, but Snelling (oddly enough) served as the beneficiary in the passing game, hauling in four balls for 58 yards and a touchdown. While the workload between the two was pretty even, Rodgers did see an 18-11 edge in carries, and, for what it’s worth, was labeled the starter for the game.
However, are either worthy of at least a flex start this week?
If you need them, they’re there. Rodgers is only owned in 39 percent of Yahoo! leagues, while Snelling is rostered in 31 percent. With some of the bigger name guys struggling to get going, as well as a handful of committee situations, both of these Atlanta backs could very well touch the ball 20 times each, and that volume is very appealing from a fantasy perspective. If you are looking for touchdowns, Snelling is your guy. He was the goal line back when Jackson exited the game in Week 2, and he got some goal line work on Sunday as well. He’s seen four red zone rushes over the last two games, and the Falcons like to run the ball up close. I still think Rodgers will lead the two in carries, however, but Snelling may be the better option in PPR and touchdown-only leagues. The matchup this week isn’t great, isn’t horrible, as the Patriots are in the middle of the pack against the run. However, I do think there will be a lot of points scored in this contest, so both backs have the opportunity to find the end zone.
If I had to rank them, I’d put Snelling slightly ahead of Rodgers, though Rodgers has the better, more explosive skill-set.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
