Croskey-Merritt (groin) limited again on Thursday

Croskey-Merritt continues to lead the Commanders’ backfield in rush attempts, but he looked like the less explosive back in this one, averaging just 3.6 YPC with his longest gain coming on a nine-yard carry. He hauled in his lone target on the day for a five-yard gain, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Rachaad White got more involved in the offense after totaling 83 yards from scrimmage on his 13 touches. Even if he does operate as the lead back next week, Croskey-Merritt will be hard to trust against a physical Seahawks defense.

Allen practiced in full all week, so there are no concerns about his current status. Last week, starting RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt fumbled late in the game and was yanked for the final eight plays. Last Man Standig’s Ben Standig notes, Allen “handled the final three handoffs, and Rachaad White was a potential safety valve” for the Commanders’ two-point attempt. Allen is worth stashing on benches in 12-team leagues.

“Bill” handled 59.3 percent of RB carries for the Commanders in this one. He saw two of his carries go for 10-plus yards on the day, but in large, Croskey-Merritt was held in check by the Eagles, as 11 of his attempts went for three yards or less. Croskey-Merritt found the end zone on a one-yard plunge late in the second quarter, but also nearly lost a fumble in the fourth quarter when the Commanders were attempting to tie the game. Fantasy managers hoping for an increased role in the passing game can find some hope in the fact that JCM’s 14 routes run were only one fewer than Rachaad White (15), per TruMedia, but White was the preferred option on third/fourth down by a wide margin. Croskey-Merritt will have plenty of RB3/FLEX appeal in next week’s game against the Cowboys.

Croskey-Merritt was a limited participant in practice all week but is good to go for Sunday’s opener against the Eagles. “Bill” is expected to handle the majority of the backfield rush attempts on Sunday, but how he factors into the passing game will be worth monitoring. The second-year back has reportedly worked to improve in the passing game this year and could turn into a decent three-down contributor if the Commanders trust him enough in passing-down situations. Until we see how his usage unfolds, Croskey-Merritt shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than an RB3/FLEX option against the Eagles.

Getting in a limited session to begin the week puts Croskey-Merritt on track to start in Week 1 against the Eagles. The second-year running back has reportedly improved his passing game chops, but RB Rachaad White will likely be the team’s primary receiving back to begin the year. If Croskey-Merritt can siphon away receiving snaps, it will make him less reliant on positive game scripts. For now, if active, he is a borderline RB2/3.

He missed about a week with the ailment, and reporters discovered that the “lower body injury” was a groin injury. We wouldn’t be surprised if he were limited a bit over the next two weeks, but if he’s practicing he’s certainly likely to play in Week 1.

We reported that Croskey-Merritt was limited in Monday’s practice yesterday but didn’t have a specific injury. Now we have a vague injury area. By Wednesday, we may even know which leg it’s on. We’re not overly concerned about Croskey-Merritt’s Week 1 prospects just yet — he did participate a little in yesterday’s practice — but it’s something to monitor ahead of the opening slate.

According to Commanders beat writer Ben Standig, Croskey-Merritt reporters saw him “pull up at the end of a catch-and-run in Thursday’s practice.” The fact that he’s still working in a limited capacity suggests this isn’t anything to be too worried about at this time, but “Bill” is the latest of several Commanders players to already be dealing with injuries in camp. Washington has been without Rachaad White (hamstring) since the team’s joint practice with the Dolphins, leaving unproven rookies Kaytron Allen and Robert Henry, and veteran Craig Reynolds as the only healthy backs in camp.

Now we know why the Commanders’ receiving back has been absent at practice recently. White reportedly tweaked a hamstring during joint practices with the Dolphins last week. He worked out prior to Friday’s preseason game, but did not play. Garafolo adds that White has “excelled” in new OC David Blough’s offense during OTAs and training camp, though starting RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt has notably been praised for his pass-catching improvements recently.

ESPN’s John Keim expects to hear an update on White tomorrow morning. Backup RB Jeremy McNichols is dealing with a quad injury and RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) was recently placed on injured reserve. As things currently stand, starting RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, rookie RBs Kaytron Allen and Robert Henry, and veteran RB Craig Reynolds are the four healthy players. Croskey-Merritt’s reported passing game improvements have come at the right time. Allen played well on a sizable preseason Week 1 workload. He might be in line for RB2 duties if White were to miss time.