Jacory

Croskey-Merritt

Bill was surprisingly involved through the air, seeing four targets, one of which he took down the sideline for a 35-yard gain early in the match. On the other hand, three different Commanders backup running backs touched the ball today. Austin Ekeler led the way with four carries. Kaytron Allen and Craig Reynolds combined for another five attempts. The Commanders have had commitment issues with Croskey-Merritt dating back to his rookie season and nothing has changed this year. He will be stuck in the back of the RB3 ranks for Week 5 against the Giants.

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.

Croskey-Merritt had a long touchdown run wiped off the board because of an illegal formation. Outside of that, it was a struggle for the 25-year-old against the stout Seattle run defense. The long gain (that counted) was just nine yards. Croskey-Merritt has not found much room to run thus far, and it’s hard to trust him right now. His next chance to find said room comes in Week 4 against the Colts in London.

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.

The Commanders’ starting running back is on track to play, but it would be nice to see him practice fully tomorrow. If he is unable to do so, he might end up sharing more touches than he normally would with receiving RB Rachaad White. Croskey-Merritt supposedly refined his passing game skill set this summer, potentially raising his fantasy-scoring ceiling. Stay tuned.