Who Should I Start? Isaac Guerendo or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Tuesday, October 21, 9:16 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo was thrust into action in his rookie season in the NFL in 2024 because Christian McCaffrey missed most of the year due to injuries. Guerendo finished with 84 rushing attempts for 420 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games (three starts) and also chipped in 15 catches on 16 targets as a pass-catcher for 152 yards. Fantasy managers probably viewed him as a pretty valuable handcuff for the injury-prone CMC going into 2025 drafts, but the Niners' acquisition of Brian Robinson Jr. before the season pretty much killed whatever fantasy appeal he had. Through the first seven weeks of his sophomore campaign, the 25-year-old former fourth-rounder has yet to play an offensive snap with CMC and B-Rob both staying healthy. Instead, Guerendo has been limited to a special teams role, returning five kickoffs for a combined 100 yards.

Friday, November 21, 9:36 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, out of Arizona, has seen his role decrease over the past few weeks. Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw a season-high 15 carries in Week 11 and ran for a very solid 5.27 YPC. Meanwhile, Croskey-Merritt saw a 27 percent snap share, and although he carried the ball nine times and caught one pass, it all added up to 33 all-purpose yards (3.11 YPC) against the Miami Dolphins in Spain. The Commanders are on a bye in Week 12, and it appears that this running back room is starting to shape out in a way where Rodriguez will get a bulk of the carries, Croskey-Merrritt will be the change of pace back, and Jeremy McNichols will get mixed in as the pass-catching option. Knowing all of this, it makes Rodriguez the clear running back to own in this backfield, and Croskey-Merritt can be dropped to the waiver wire if your team is in a pinch and you need to fill the roster spot with someone that can help you win now. In Week 13, the Commanders get the Denver Broncos, where none of the running backs will be a recommended start, as the Broncos' defense ranks top 5 in points allowed against opposing running backs.