Rachaad

White

White started in name only, playing the first two drives before splitting backfield duties with fellow veteran Austin Ekeler for the remainder of the game. The two backs ended with the same number of opportunities while also splitting red zone work, with White narrowly missing a touchdown in the second quarter on his second longest run of the evening, a seven-yard scamper up the gut that was stopped at the one. His lone explosive run went for 18 yards, with those two carries accounting for more than 50 percent of his yardage total on the ground. White has fallen into a strict timeshare in the absence of Jacory Croskey-Merritt and brings little fantasy upside ahead of a Week 11 meeting with the Bengals.

White’s 28 rushing yards led all Commanders running backs, but his biggest play of the game came through the air. In the second quarter, White turned a short screen pass upfield for a 45-yard gain, positioning the Commanders for a touchdown, which came on the following play when Van Jefferson found the end zone for a seven-yard score. White’s only other catch went for a four-yard loss, but the 41 receiving yards still set a new season-high for him. The 27-year-old free agent signee has three touchdowns this season and hasn’t totaled more than 80 yards from scrimmage in any game this season. He will be a fringe RB2/RB3 against the Giants, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) still sidelined for a few more weeks.

White averaged just over two yards per carry on his first eight attempts before breaking loose for a 33-yard gain entering the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. He would find the end zone two plays later to salvage an otherwise underwhelming fantasy outing while operating in a three-way timeshare with Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols. Although White’s fantasy value is clearly higher in the absence of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, his performance in Week 8 goes down as his first fantasy-viable start through the first eight weeks of the 2026 season. Fantasy managers are likely better off exploring alternatives ahead of a poor matchup against the Rams in Week 9.

The Commanders immediately found themselves in a negative game environment, managing just 17 offensive plays and 90 yards of total offense in the first half. While White found the end zone from nine yards out in the fourth quarter on an in-breaking route, the backfield split amongst White, Jeremy McNichols, and Austin Ekeler was troubling for fantasy managers looking to the former as a potential option with lead back Jacory Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve. White and the Commanders head to their bye week at a 1-4-1 record and some serious questions to answer, the least of which is the current state of their backfield.

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.

Croskey-Merritt has played through multiple injuries this year. We still think he has a chance to face the 49ers in Week 6’s Monday Night Football game. Rachaad White (shoulder) sported a red non-contact jersey for the first time this week, and was downgraded to limited today.

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.

White continued to serve as the RB2 behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt and led the backfield with 11 snaps on third down. While his role remained largely the same, even with Austin Ekeler active, White offered nothing of fantasy value in this one. He saw only one target on the afternoon, and could continue to have his fantasy upside limited as long as Jayden Daniels is scrambling away from pressure rather than dumping it off to his checkdown options. Fantasy managers should avoid White in Week 6 against the 49ers.

In addition to White, the Commanders will also get RG Sam Cosmi back after missing the last two games with a concussion. White will likely return to his role as the team’s third-down/pass-catching back, but could be at risk of having Austin Ekeler eat into some of his workload. Fantasy managers hoping for White to return to the 10.3 touches/gm he was averaging before his injury may want to temper expectations and leave him on the bench while we wait to see how Ekeler is factored into the game plan.

He looks to be on track to return to the backfield in Week 5. What percentage of carries that leaves him in a post-Ekeler world appears to be open to interpretation. We would not recommend starting him in any reasonably-sized league.