Chris Brooks or Mike Washington Jr.: Toss-Up — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Brooks' defined role meets Washington's injury-contingent upside in a true coin flip

Neither back clears bench territory on paper, and the tiny projection edge for Brooks is basically noise given how thin both roles are. Brooks' value is capped but real — he's carved out short-yardage and pass-protection work behind Green Bay's lead back, even if a 4% target share says he's not touching the passing game. Washington is the wild card: he has zero NFL snaps, but Kubiak's comments put him in line for a real bell-cow workload if Jeanty can't go, and that preseason burst wasn't empty-calorie work. This is a proven-floor grinder against a fringe-lottery-ticket rookie, and the numbers alone can't separate them.

What flips it: An official inactive tag for Jeanty before kickoff, which would hand Washington a workhorse role Brooks can't match.

Sources: NBC Sports · Aug 28, 2026

AI editor

Chris Brooks

RB46GBvs MIN

5.86.87.7 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Mike Washington Jr.

RB45LVvs MIA

5.86.36.8 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Why Chris Brooks

Toss-Up

RB2 in complementary role. Big-bodied back with special-teams value and short-yardage/pass-protection snaps.

Toss-up — RB46 consensus, projects RB44 this week: 4% target share in 2025, 7.7 PPR projected vs MIN.

Snap-share role (short-yardage, pass pro) is locked in regardless of game flow, unlike a rookie waiting on someone else's ankle.
Plays with a modest home-field cushion via the spread, giving Green Bay's offense a few more competitive snaps to work with.

Why Mike Washington Jr.

Toss-Up

Rookie RB2 in change-of-pace role. Complementary back behind the feature runner with no NFL sample yet.

Toss-up — RB45 consensus, projects RB46 this week: MIA is the 10th-softest matchup vs RBs, 6.8 PPR projected vs MIA.

If Jeanty sits, Washington isn't just touches — he's the lead back in an offense implied for a similar point total to Brooks'.
Preseason usage (23 carries, 7.3 YPC) suggests the coaching staff already trusts him with real volume, not just mop-up snaps.

Latest on Washington

Verified

RoleKubiak said Ashton Jeanty is "still on the mend" from his ankle injury, and rookie Mike Washington Jr. is expected to see a substantial role if Jeanty cannot play, after Washington ran 23 times for 168 yards (7.3 YPC) in the preseason.NBC Sports · Aug 28, 2026

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Chris Brooks	Mike Washington Jr.
Projected points	5.86.87.7	5.86.36.8
Consensus rank	RB46	RB45
Opponent vs position	MIN · 13 of 320-game sample	MIA · 23 of 320-game sample
Rushing Yards	24 of 32	26 of 32
Rushing TDs	12 of 32	19 of 32
Rushing Attempts	32 of 32	21 of 32
Receptions	2 of 32	26 of 32
Receiving Yards	1 of 32	25 of 32
Anytime TD	6 of 32	23 of 32
Target share	4%(2025)	—
Reception share	4%(2025)	—
Implied total · spread	23.0-1.5	22.3-3.0
Depth chart	RB2	RB2
Snap share	21%(2025)	—