Two players, one answer.
Austin Ekeler vs Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Any format · Week 8 start/sit · PPR
Stats through week 7 of 2026
This week
Toss-up · 6 to 5.7 projected (Week 8, PPR)
Rest of season
Austin Ekeler by 52% (redraft PPR)Dynasty
Chris Rodriguez Jr. by 42% (Dynasty Superflex)
Week 8 · PPR · 51% held up in 2025
A toss-up
On Sleeper's projections, Chris Rodriguez Jr. is projected 0.3 points ahead of Austin Ekeler. In the 2025 season, a player projected that far ahead outscored the other 51% of the time. That's close to a coin flip: on these projections neither is the better start, and an injury report or a projection update before kickoff can tip it.
RB · JAX
Chris Rodriguez Jr.
6.0 projected
vs IND · Sun 1:00 PM ET
5.1 a game this season · last 3: 9.5, 2.1, 5.5
RB · WAS
Austin Ekeler
5.7 projected
vs PHI · Sun 8:20 PM ET
3.4 a game this season · last 3: 5, 2.4, 2.7
What the call rests on
- Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Sleeper's projection, last changed Tue, Oct 27, 5:40 PM ET
- Austin Ekeler: Sleeper's projection, last changed Tue, Oct 27, 5:40 PM ET
- Sleeper's projections read Tue, Oct 27, 5:50 PM ET.
- Injury statuses: Sleeper's player list, read Tue, Oct 27, 9:01 AM ET (once a day). Game-day inactives, about 90 minutes before kickoff, come after it.
| Same projections, scored | Jr. | Ekeler |
|---|---|---|
| PPR | 6 | 5.7 |
| Half PPR | 5.8 | 5.2 |
| Standard | 5.5 | 4.8 |
What could change it before kickoff
- A projection update of 0.3 points or more in the other direction flips the call; Sleeper keeps adjusting its projections until kickoff, and this page reads them again at most an hour after it last did.
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. plays first (Sun 1:00 PM ET); once his game starts most platforms lock him in or out, before Austin Ekeler's late news is known.
Open in Who should I start (your league, more players)
This week’s projections are Sleeper’s, scored with PPR settings. The percentage is how often a projected gap like this held up across the 2025 season; checked against 2026 games (not used to fit it), the stated chances so far run a few points high, so read a 60% call as nearer 55%.