Mike Washington Jr. or Woody Marks: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 1 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Marks' proven committee role edges out Washington's unproven ceiling

Neither back is a confident start, but Marks gets the nod because his role is already on tape while Washington's is still theoretical. Marks logged real snaps and carries as a rookie in Houston's backfield, giving the projection something to stand on even with a light passing-game role. Washington's whole case is the Jeanty injury report — if Jeanty sits, the rookie could see a real workload spike that the current projection doesn't yet reflect, since he has zero NFL sample to project from. The risk in starting Marks is that he's already shown his ceiling as a between-the-tackles complementary piece, while Washington's unknown outcome could blow past either projection if the role materializes.

What flips it: A Friday or Saturday report that Jeanty is out flips this toward Washington.

Sources: NBC Sports · Aug 28, 2026

AI editor

In standard scoring this is a coin flip.

Mike Washington Jr.

Mike Washington Jr.

RB45LVvs MIA

Projected Points

Toss-Up
Woody Marks

Woody Marks

RB44HOUvs BUF

Projected Points

Toss-Up

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.

  • A zero-game NFL sample means his current projection may understate him if Jeanty can't go.
  • NBC reports Kubiak expects a 'substantial role' for Washington if Jeanty sits, which the model can't yet price in.

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

Why Woody Marks

Toss-Up

RB2 behind David Montgomery. Between-the-tackles committee back who carried 196 times for 703 yards as a rookie with light pass-game usage.

Toss-up — RB44 consensus, projects RB43 this week: 7% target share in 2025, 8.3 PPR projected vs BUF.

  • Already logged a full rookie season as Houston's early-down piece behind Montgomery, so the role is proven, not projected.
  • Light passing-game work caps his upside even in a committee, since Houston leans on him for between-the-tackles carries only.

Head-to-head stats

MetricMike Washington Jr.Woody Marks
Projected points
Consensus rankRB45RB44
Opponent vs positionMIA · 23 of 320-game sampleBUF · 20 of 320-game sample
Rushing Yards26 of 3227 of 32
Rushing TDs19 of 3232 of 32
Rushing Attempts21 of 3216 of 32
Receptions26 of 3210 of 32
Receiving Yards25 of 326 of 32
Anytime TD23 of 3226 of 32
Target share—7%(2025)
Reception share—7%(2025)
Implied total · spread22.3-3.022.0+1.5
Depth chartRB2RB2
Snap share—52%(2025)

Signal breakdown

  • 6.8 vs 8.3 projected PPR pointsWoody Marks +
  • Rank 45 vs 44Woody Marks +
  • Opponent DvP rank 23 vs 20 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 22.3 vs 22.0 team pointsMike Washington Jr. +
  • No injury designationseven
  • Snap shareeven

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