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Week 1 fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Chris Rodriguez Jr., Will Shipley, Keaton Mitchell in 2025. Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
There are plenty of injured players fantasy managers might have selected in the middle-to-late rounds of drafts. If you drafted Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin, Joe Mixon, or even Jalen Coker in fantasy, you can put those players in one of your IR spots. That means an extra roster spot is available for you on your roster.
In this article, we will look at whether Chris Rodriguez Jr., Will Shipley, and Keaton Mitchell should be added in fantasy leagues in Week 1. All three running backs are likely beginning the season in a reserve role, but could see a handful of opportunities throughout the year.
So, are Rodriguez, Shipley, and Mitchell worth adding off the waiver wire in Week 1? Here are the latest outlooks on each for fantasy football.
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Chris Rodriguez Jr. Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 6% of leagues
The Washington backfield remains a huge question mark entering the 2025-2026 season. After Washington traded away Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers in August, the RB1 job is certainly up for grabs. However, it appears that Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Austin Ekeler will be the top running backs in this offense to begin the year.
Both Croskey-Merritt and Ekeler sat out during the team's final preseason game with the starters, while Rodriguez started that game with the backups. Still, there is a strong possibility that Rodriguez is somewhat involved in this offense throughout the season. Ekeler is a 30-year-old running back who only ran 77 times last year, and Croskey-Merritt is a rookie. It usually takes rookies some time to adjust to the NFL.
Interesting Commanders nugget from @AdamKilgoreWP that has fantasy implications
Jacory Croskey-Merritt 10.12 ADP
Chris Rodriguez Jr. 12.11 pic.twitter.com/JbVnx5QjLt— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) August 26, 2025
So, even though Rodriguez has seen limited chances in his short career so far, look for him to have a role in this Washington offense. While we don't know what that role might be, he's worth stashing on your bench until we see how this backfield plays out.
Baller Move: Add in 12+ Team Leagues
Will Shipley Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 12% of leagues
Shipley didn't see many opportunities in his rookie season. He ran just 30 times for 82 yards and really only played in blowout wins or losses last season. In the one game he did see a significant run on offense (Week 18), the former Clemson running back was ineffective on the ground. With the starters not playing the final week, he ran 10 times for 32 yards.
However, the offseason departure of Kenneth Gainwell opens up touches in this Philadelphia backfield. Gainwell saw 91 touches last season, and the majority of those touches could be heading Shipley's way in 2025. The expectation is that the second-year running back has beaten out veteran A.J. Dillon for the RB2 job in this offense.
Earlier in camp, #Eagles RB Saquon Barkley referred to Will Shipley as the “smartest back in the room.” Shipley spoke on his football IQ and mental approach to the position:
“It’s something that I’ve always taken a lot of pride in. I believe that I’m a guy who gets better from… pic.twitter.com/iM9HHakgzO
— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) August 19, 2025
As a result, Shipley is a fantastic handcuff if you drafted Saquon Barkley early in the first round. The 23-year-old would have a sizeable role in this Philadelphia offense if Barkley were to miss any time.
Baller Move: Add in All Leagues If You Drafted Barkley
Keaton Mitchell Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 3% of leagues
Mitchell showed a ton of potential in his rookie season, averaging 8.43 yards per carry across 47 carries back in 2023. Unfortunately, the speedy running back tore his ACL in a Week 15 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That ended his rookie campaign early, and the Ravens running back wound up playing in just five games in 2024.
Nonetheless, it appears that Mitchell is finally back to full strength and speed following his ACL tear. He looked faster in training camp and could see some chances out of the backfield here and there in his third NFL season.
The Ravens are going to have a handle of games where they're blowing out teams in the 4th quarter, resulting in a couple of Keaton Mitchell spike weeks.
Better pick in Best Ball, but still solid in redraft.
Mitchell will have FLEX appeal when Ravens are heavy faves ATS.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) September 1, 2025
The problem, though, is that Mitchell is probably third on the pecking order in this Baltimore backfield. Derrick Henry is the unquestioned starter, and Justice Hill is the team's RB2/pass-catching back. Therefore, Mitchell might not have a consistent role in this Ravens offense unless Henry or Hill misses some time.
Baller Move: Monitor in 14+ Team Leagues
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Chris Rodriguez Jr., Will Shipley, and Keaton Mitchell. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Chris Rodriguez Jr., Will Shipley, Keaton Mitchell:
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