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VideoFrom Fantasy Football with Ian Hartitz

3 RB Battles That Will Decide Your Fantasy Draft

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.

1 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 8, 2026
Published
Sat, August 8, 2026
4
Player insights
4
Players mentioned
Topics
Chris RodriguezJonathon BrooksKe'Shawn VaughnRachaad White
Player analysis

Player insights

4

Chris Rodriguez

NegativeInjury0:41

Ian Hartitz notes that while Chris Rodriguez Jr. was efficient and explosive with his touches last year and could benefit from an improved Commanders offense, his current foot injury is a concern that could hinder his impact during training camp. He is currently competing for a role in the team's offense.

Insight page

Jonathon Brooks

PositiveBreakout0:06

Ian Hartitz advises not to underestimate Jonathan Brooks' potential to overtake Chuba Hubbard for the RB1 role in Carolina, noting a possible backfield split ranging from 50/50 to 70/30 in Hubbard's favor. Hartitz compares Brooks' path to Rico Dowdle's rise last season, highlighting him as a rare handcuff with standalone upside who could secure the starting job even without an injury.

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Ke'Shawn Vaughn

NegativeDepth Chart0:50

Ian Hartitz identifies a training camp battle in Jacksonville involving Ke'Shawn Vaughn as he competes for a role in the team's high-scoring offense.

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Rachaad White

PositiveUsage0:31

Ian Hartitz identifies Rachaad White as one of only three running backs with at least 200 receptions since entering the league, suggesting he is positioned to secure a significant pass-down role similar to Austin Ekeler's 2024 usage.

Insight page
Full transcript

Episode Transcript

39
0:00The three most important backfield
0:01battles that we need to be watching
0:03throughout training camp and the
0:04preseason. Number one, the Carolina
0:06Panthers RB battle between Chuba Hubbard
0:08and Jonathan Brooks. Maybe it's going to
0:10be 50/50, maybe it's going to be a 70/30
0:12split in favor of Chuba, but don't
0:14underestimate a healthy Jonathan Brooks
0:16snatching Chuba's chain just like Rico
0:18Dowdle did last season. He is a rare
0:20handcuffed price running back with a
0:22realistic chance to take the RB1 job
0:24without an injury. Number two, the
0:26Washington Commanders have their version
0:28of Muhammad [music] versus McLovin with
0:30Rashad White versus Bill Kroskey
0:31Merritt. It does seem like Rashad White,
0:33who is one of only three running backs
0:35with at least 200 receptions since
0:36entering the league, could get a 2024
0:39Austin Ekeler plus as pass down role.
0:41Then again, Bill Kroskey Merritt was
0:43very efficient and explosive with his
0:44touches last year. Whoever wins this
0:46could be the beneficiary of a much
0:48improved Commanders offense. And
0:50finally, we have the Jacksonville
0:51Jaguars between Ke'Shawn Tute and Liam
0:53Coen's old friend from Kentucky, Chris
0:55Rodriguez. Keep an eye on the status of
0:57C-Rod's foot injury that could prevent
0:59him from [music] making too big of an
1:00impact in training camp. The winner here
1:02gets to be the running back y'all of the
1:04league's running sixth-ranked scoring
1:05offense, a situation that really helped
1:07Travis Etienne return some solid value
1:09to fantasy managers last season.

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