Who Should I Start? Quinshon Judkins or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sunday, October 5, 1:31 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was his team's star of the show Sunday in a loss to Minnesota, compiling 128 total yards with a feature back's workload. The rookie from Ohio State drew 23 carries for 110 yards, caught one of two targets for another 18, and was by far his team's top choice out of the backfield. Judkins has now surpassed 90 total yards in all three games in which he played 50% of his team's snaps, which is a highly encouraging sign for managers who drafted him. With quarterback Dillon Gabriel earning a trial run as the starter, Cleveland is likely to continue riding two-tight end sets and its running game, making Judkins an excellent fantasy commodity going forward.

Tuesday, October 7, 10:23 AM

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt stepped up in Week 5 against the Chargers, taking 14 carries for 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The other running backs were less involved, with Chris Rodriguez Jr. only getting five carries for seven yards and Jeremy McNichols only one carry for six yards. Croskey-Merritt played a season-high 47% of snaps, while McNichols and Rodriguez only played 25% each. The seventh-round pick from Arizona seemed to gel well with returning QB Jayden Daniels and helped the team secure a big road win over the Chargers. This week, Croskey-Merritt and the Commanders are home against the Bears on Monday Night Football, which should be a good matchup for the rookie to continue to assert himself as the leader of the backfield going forward. He's definitely the most dynamic option of the group with the highest fantasy upside.