Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Tuesday, September 30, 6:33 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) is targeting a return in Week 8. Jones suffered the injury late in Week 2's loss to the Falcons and was placed on injured reserve afterward. With the Vikings entering the bye in Week 6, that means Jones' next opportunity to return is in Week 8, where they face the Los Angeles Chargers on a Thursday Night. The veteran has a lengthy history of hamstring issues, and with Jordan Mason performing well during his absence, Jones may struggle to reclaim his early-season workload. Fantasy managers should prepare for a potential timeshare rather than a full return to feature-back duties.

Wednesday, October 1, 11:43 AM

ESPN's Dan Graziano reports that the Washington Commanders are "very happy at the moment using a committee" in the backfield, but they "view (rookie running back) Jacory Croskey-Merritt as the most capable one of the three to emerge as an all-around threat." Since veteran running back Austin Ekeler (Achilles) suffered an Achilles tear in Week 2, the Commanders have split backfield playing time fairly evenly between Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and Jeremy McNichols. Overall, through his first four NFL games, Croskey-Merritt has recorded 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries to go along with three catches for 15 yards on five targets. As long as all three Washington backs are sharing snaps, none profile as fantasy starters. However, it sounds as though Croskey-Merritt is the most likely Commanders running back to eventually seize a true lead role.