Who Should I Start? Dillon Gabriel or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Tuesday, October 21, 9:59 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 13 of his 18 passes for 116 scoreless yards while adding four carries for 12 yards in a 31-6 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. As has become customary over his three starts, Gabriel operated as a game-manager for the Cleveland offense as they leaned heavily on the rushing attack. The rookie quarterback has now thrown for 546 yards and three touchdowns while completing 59.8% of his passes and throwing zero interceptions through five games. He will look to raise his fantasy ceiling in a Week 8 road matchup against the New England Patriots. The Patriots have been solid on defense this season, allowing the fifth-fewest points per game in the league at 19.0 per game. Gabriel sets up as a low-end QB2 in a week with six teams on bye.

Friday, October 17, 8:48 PM

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt had his worst performance of the season in Week 6 against the Bears, handling 17 carries for 61 yards with one reception for seven yards and losing a fumble for the second consecutive game. It's concerning to see him put the ball on the ground this frequently, but the coaching staff showed faith in him and went right back to him. On a positive note, the rookie seventh-rounder posted his highest snap share of the season at 66.7%. Croskey-Merritt should again handle the bulk of the touches in Week 7 against a Dallas defense that just allowed Rico Dowdle to rack up 239 total yards. They are allowing the fourth-most PPR points per game to opposing running backs, which sets up Croskey-Merritt for a nice bounce-back game. He is a must-start in Week 7.