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

Tuesday, November 25, 9:57 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren turned 18 carries into 68 yards and a touchdown in a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears. For the first time this season, he was not targeted in the passing game. Backfield mate Kenneth Gainwell, on the other hand, hauled in all six of his targets and added 92 rushing yards. This marked the second straight week in which Gainwell outproduced Warren for fantasy purposes, though it's important to remember that Warren suffered an ankle injury in Week 11. It will be interesting to see how the two backs are deployed on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, who have struggled to stop the run all season. Being another week removed from the injury should only benefit Warren, so fantasy managers have no reason to panic just yet.

Friday, November 28, 9:55 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has seen his role decrease over the past few weeks as Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw a season-high 15 carries in Week 11 and ran for a very solid 5.27 YPC. Meanwhile, in that same Week 11 game, Croskey-Merritt had only a 27 percent snap share, and although he carried the ball nine times and caught one pass, it produced only 33 all-purpose yards (3.11 YPC) against a weak Miami Dolphins defense. Rodriguez appears to have taken over primary duties in this backfield, and at this point, JCM is mostly a shot-in-the-dark option if Rodriguez were to get hurt. JCM broke out in Week 5 against the Chargers with 150 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns and earned the team's first rep opportunities for the proceeding weeks, but failed to capitalize on his opportunities with no game over a 3.59 YPC mark. His snap percentage and the team's running back opportunities have been dwindling each week in favor of Rodriguez Jr. At this point, JCM is considered droppable, but only for someone on the waiver wire who can provide your team with immediate value or is a high-level handcuff to roster for a playoff run. Week 13's matchup against the Denver Broncos is challenging for all Commander running backs, and neither is considered a start this week.