Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Saturday, September 13, 7:39 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen praised running back Travis Etienne Jr. after Etienne Jr.'s big performance in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. Per ESPN's Michael DiRocco, Coen had this to say about Etienne Jr.: "It took some time early on in terms of understanding the demands and the standards. Once (Etienne Jr.) really got on the same page, it's been doing this (upward motion)." The Jaguars traded running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles following Week 1, clearing the way for Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten to dominate touches in Jacksonville. Etienne Jr. profiles as a fantasy RB2 in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Wednesday, September 24, 10:29 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt's knee injury is not considered serious, a source told Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. Jhabvala added that she shouldn't be surprised if Croskey-Merritt practices on Thursday after he did not take the field on Wednesday. The 24-year-old had 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut in Week 1, but he's combined for only 12 carries for 33 yards and a score over the last two games, including only eight carries for 26 yards in the Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the first game without Austin Ekeler (Achilles). JCM should lead Washington's backfield when all is said and done in 2025 with Ekeler done for the season, but he's going to share the load with Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols. Line Croskey-Merritt up as an RB3/flex in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons.