Who Should I Start? Jaylen Warren or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Friday, September 26, 4:23 PM

According to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (knee) is expected to play on Sunday despite carrying a questionable designation. Warren was listed as a limited participant throughout the week due to veteran rest and a knee injury. However, Warren was unable to progress enough to avoid a designation following Friday's final practice. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status leading up to kickoff in case he faces a setback, but it appears he is trending in the right direction. Throughout the opening month of the season, Warren has been able to emerge as the top option in the Pittsburgh backfield. Warren has been given 14.3 rushing attempts per game and seen 4.0 targets per game. Given his role as a pass-catcher, Warren carries high-floor RB2 value in PPR formats despite facing a tough Minnesota defense that has allowed the 10th fewest PR points to opposing RBs this season. If he is unable to play, Kenneth Gainwell will likely operate as the primary option with Trey Sermon and Kaleb Johnson slotting behind him.

Friday, September 26, 9:24 PM

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (knee) practiced in full on Friday after three straight DNPs earlier in the week. Croskey-Merritt should be all good to go for Week 4's matchup in Atlanta with the opportunity to see more work. He led the backfield with a 41% snap share and 23% route share while tying Chris Rodriguez Jr. with two goal-line carries. Rodriguez surprisingly started the game for Washington and led the team with 11 carries, clearly indicating that he will have a role. Croskey-Merritt will need to continue to gain the coaching staff's trust in pass protection before earning a bigger workload. He did, however, have a few positive moments as a pass blocker last week against the Raiders and has been continuously praised by the staff. Atlanta has been tougher on running backs through three weeks, allowing the eighth fewest fantasy points per game at 11.3. That puts Croskey-Merritt in RB3 territory for Week 4.