Ekeler sees four carries in 2026 debut

No surprise here. Croskey-Merritt has been dealing with a groin injury since the start of the season. This week he couldn’t practice and has since been officially ruled out for the Commanders’ Monday Night Football matchup against the 49ers. Croskey-Merritt will get a two-week break with Washington on bye in Week 7. Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler figure to handle the majority of the backfield touches in his absence with White being the preferred fantasy option between the two.

Ekeler continues to practice in a limited capacity while wearing a red non-contact jersey. He has a chance to play on Monday night, but he is clearly hurting. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) remains sidelined and Rachaad White (shoulder) has been downgraded to limited. It’s an ailing backfield.

Ekeler and Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) are both ailing, though the latter player sat out entirely. Rachaad White (shoulder) and Jeremy McNichols (quad) are both practicing in full. Croskey-Merritt is the only fantasy-relevant Commanders running back at this time, assuming he is good to go on Monday night.

He didn’t practice at any point this week after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 3. He has to be considered questionable for Week 5 at this point. ‘Bill’ Croskey-Merritt figures to shoulder the majority of the workload for the Commanders this week and is a reasonable FLEX play against the Colts. Freshly-signed Austin Ekeler figures to handle third-down work.

With two DNPs to start the week, White looks unlikely to suit up for Week 4 against the Colts. Austin Ekeler traveled with the team after signing with the team earlier this week, so he could ultimately take on White’s role. Backup running back Kayton Allen could also see more work, but Jacory Croskey-Merritt remains the clear lead back in Washington for now. He is on the RB2/3 border for Week 4.

It sounds like White will be a question mark headed into Washington’s Week 4 game against the Colts in London. Quinn added that it’s too early to tell whether Austin Ekeler, who signed with the Commanders this week, will be active for Week 4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt could see a significant bump in carries and pass routes — and maybe targets — if White is sidelined this week. JCM, who has 58 percent of the team’s carries through three games, would be a nice flex option in that case.

Ekeler is fully recovered from a torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season after just two games. The 31-year-old running back returns to a familiar place in Washington and will sign to the 53-man roster, making him immediately eligible to play in Week 4. We expect him to have a bit of a ramp-up period before being active on game days, but Ekeler could end up having a meaningful role in a backfield that has struggled to get going through the first three weeks. Ekeler may be worth a stash in deeper leagues, but we’ll have to see what kind of role he has before we can consider putting him in lineups. Ekeler met last week with the Panthers about possibly joining their practice squad but a deal was never reached.

Ekeler worked out for the Panthers today. Kaye noted that the workout went well, so it’s possible Ekeler lands with the team in the future. With Jonathon Brooks (groin) on injured reserve, the Panthers need to make an addition or two at running back, even just for some extra depth. Regardless of who they sign, Chuba Hubbard is set for a workhorse role for the foreseeable future.

Carolina is in need of some backfield reinforcements after losing Jonathon Brooks to a core injury that will leave him sidelined for at least six weeks. AJ Dillon is set to fill in for Brooks while Chub Hubbard presumably continues as the team’s lead back. Ekeler, 31, who hasn’t played since injuring his Achilles last September, could be an emergency running back if Hubbard or Dillon go down with injuries in the coming weeks. First he’ll need to make the squad.

An MRI confirmed that Ekeler suffered a torn Achilles in Thursday’s game against the Packers. The 30-year-old running back will miss the remainder of the season. Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols figure to handle the running back duties for the Commanders going forward with Chris Rodriguez now as the third running back active.