Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Wednesday, August 13, 10:50 AM

In one of the more interesting backfield situations in the league, Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce is now seeing first-team reps, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC in Houston. The status of Joe Mixon (foot) is up in the air as the season approaches, while new addition Nick Chubb (head) has also missed time, to say nothing of the major knee injury he suffered in 2023. Pierce rushed for 939 yards as a rookie and has had fleeting moments of success since, but mostly in a secondary role. A committee situation may be worth monitoring as the season approaches.

Thursday, August 28, 9:33 PM

Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic writes that it's "still too early to know" how much playing time Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt will receive early in the season. Croskey-Merritt was one of the breakout stars of training camp, and the Commanders seemingly cleared a spot for him by trading away incumbent back Brian Robinson Jr. However, Washington still has an established veteran in Austin Ekeler to play passing downs, and third-year back Chris Rodriguez Jr. is expected to earn touches as well. There's a pathway for Croskey-Merritt to seize the lead role in Washington at some point this season, but the Commanders may open the season with more of a committee approach. Croskey-Merritt has fantasy RB2 upside. Still, managers should draft the 24-year-old expecting RB3/flex production.