Who Should I Start? Brian Robinson Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Thursday, November 13, 1:11 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. is coming off his best two games since joining the team. Robinson handled eight carries for 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 10's loss to the Rams, following his Week 9 performance against the Giants, where he had 53 yards and a touchdown on five carries. The 26-year-old finally found the end zone and has run well as the primary backup behind Christian McCaffrey this season. His 4.9 yards per carry would be the highest of his career over a full season, and he remains one of the premier handcuffs in fantasy. It's possible that the coaching staff lightens up McCaffrey's workload down the stretch to keep him fresh for a potential playoff run and gives Robinson a path to real standalone value. But if McCaffrey were to miss any time, Robinson would immediately slot in as a high-end RB2 in Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Tuesday, November 11, 10:43 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt had started every game since Week 5, but his recent struggles led to the team starting third-year back Chris Rodriguez Jr. in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions. Rodriguez ended up leaving the game early due to a shoulder injury, but he played 72% of the snaps in the first half compared to Croskey-Merritt at 16%. As a result of the injury and the game being out of hand, the rookie seventh-rounder played 65.4% of snaps in the second half. It was still another inefficient outing on the ground for the 24-year-old with just 30 yards on 11 carries. Croskey-Merritt hasn't surpassed four yards per carry in a game since his 150-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 5 against the Chargers. Rodriguez's status will be updated throughout the week as the Commanders travel to Madrid to take on the Dolphins in Week 11, but it looks like Croskey-Merritt has lost grip on the starting running back duties in Washington.