Jacory

Croskey-Merritt

He wasn’t targeted in the passing game. With Chris Rodriguez unavailable due to a grain injury, Croskey-Merritt was the bellcow for the Commanders. He outrushed Jeremy McNichols by 91 yards (nine attempts for five yards) and McNichols also lost a fumble. The rookie tailback reached 90 yards for the first time since Week 5, and it seems likely he’ll see a similar amount of touches in Week 16 against the Eagles if Rodriguez can’t get healthy for that matchup.

Rodriguez missed practice Wednesday before getting in two limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. He’s a game-time decision, according to Schefter. Rodriguez will test his groin pre-game to see if he can play. If active, he’s somewhat of a risky play in a great matchup against the Giants. Even when Rodriguez is 100 percent, he splits backfield touches with Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see his touches scaled back given his condition. If Rodriguez is ruled out, Croskey-Merritt is a plug-and-play option in a fantastic matchup against the incredibly weak Giants run defense.

Rodriguez presumably suffered the groin injury during the Commanders’ Week 14 loss to the Vikings, but he never officially left the game with an injury designation. Rodriguez has been operating as the team’s top back for a few weeks. His absence would open up work for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has largely been phased out of the offense. Thursday’s injury report will give us a better idea of Rodriguez’s availability for Week 15.

Over the last three weeks, “Bill” has seen 17, 12, and now 10 snaps, respectively. The rookie seventh-rounder has been outplayed by both Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols over the last month and a half, and saw most of his playing time come with the game well out of reach. There’s little reason for fantasy managers entering the playoffs to hold JCM at this time.

Chris Rodriguez drew the start in this game and saw 15 carries. Bill didn’t see his first touch of the day until the Commanders’ third drive. Rodriguez already had eight carries to his name. Croskey-Merritt has been fully relegated to a backup role. He will barely register as an RB5 when the Commanders take on the Broncos after their Week 12 bye.

Croskey-Merritt’s Week 10 showing marks his sixth sub-40-yard rushing outing. The run-centric back is struggling to produce on his own, but the Commanders also continue to fall into pass-heavy game scripts. Things were briefly looking up on the sixth drive, when he touched the ball on five of the first seven plays, before being subbed out when the offense was on the Lions’ five-yard line on third down. On the next play, Commanders QB Marcus Mariota lined up in the shotgun, snapped the ball and patty-caked it into WR Deebo Samuel’s hands, who had been sent in motion pre-snap. The play gained just one yard, but the Commanders successfully went back to Samuel on a flat route in the end zone on fourth down. Croskey-Merrit was later brought in for a two-point conversion attempt, but he was stood up by Lions LB Jack Campbell. RB Chris Rodriguez notably suffered a shoulder injury this afternoon, and the Commanders face the Dolphins’ league-worst run defense in Week 11.

Facing the Lions without McLaurin and Daniels gives the Commanders long odds of pulling off the upset. Fortunately, they have a capable backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota, and lead rusher, RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (tooth) was medically cleared on Friday. The defense will have CB Trey Amos on hand. The rookie cornerback injured his hip last week against the Seahawks. He practiced fully on Friday.

He’ll be an RB3 in a tough spot against Detroit, with Detroit favored by more than a touchdown in Washington. The Commanders haven’t generated much offense of late and having Marcus Mariota at quarterback probably won’t help much.

He shouldn’t be in any danger of missing Sunday’s game against the Lions. His fantasy stock, unfortunately, is well down with the Jayden Daniels injury and Washington’s inability to move the ball through the air. He’ll be an RB3-caliber play against the Lions in a game that the Commanders are underdogs in by over a touchdown at home.

JCM apparently had some dental work done recently. That is not a joke. The Commanders put him in a non-contact jersey for Wednesday’s practice. There’s no reason to believe he will miss Sunday’s game against the Lions. Bill doesn’t have a role in the passing game, making him entirely dependant on game script. As a massive underdog to the Lions, he is stuck in the RB3 ranks for Week 10.