Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sunday, November 2, 10:51 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) is expected to return in Week 11, following the team's bye, according to head coach Andy Reid (via CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson). Pacheco has already been ruled out for Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, and he'll use the bye week as a little extra time to rest and recover. In the meantime, Kansas City's backfield will be led by Kareem Hunt, while rookie Brashard Smith also figures to get involved. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Elijah Mitchell round out the running back depth chart. Pacheco should rank as a high-end RB3/flex against the Broncos when he returns.

Saturday, November 8, 11:11 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has struggled over the past four games, totaling just 157 yards on 51 carries and no touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt's 3.1 yards per carry ranks sixth lowest among running backs with at least 25 carries in that span. That comes after a five-game stretch to begin the season where the rookie seventh-rounder was one of the best stories in the league, averaging a league-best 6.6 yards per carry and a ridiculous 72.1% success rate. Croskey-Merritt also owned the second-highest explosive run rate (15+ yards) at 11.6% in that time, but has not generated a single explosive run over the past four weeks. With third-year back Chris Rodriguez Jr. coming off his best game of the season against Seattle and being named a team captain for Sunday's matchup against the Lions, Croskey-Merritt may cede more work to Rodriguez. With a lack of involvement in the pass game, Croskey-Merritt finds himself in low-end RB3 territory for Week 10, ranking as RotoBaller's RB33 in PPR leagues.