Who Should I Start? TreVeyon Henderson or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sunday, November 23, 5:42 PM

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 66 yards on 18 carries during Sunday's Week 12 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. He also caught three of his four targets for an additional 15 receiving yards. There was some concern about Henderson's role with Rhamondre Stevenson returning from injury. While Stevenson did earn some touches, Henderson remained the primary running back. Now that he has the lead role all to himself, the rookie needs to turn his attention to improving his efficiency. He averaged 3.7 yards per carry on Sunday, just one game removed from averaging 3.3 yards per carry against the Jets. If he can improve his scoring or yardage efficiency, he can be an RB1 going forward. In the meantime, he ranks as more of a mid-range RB2 for Week 13 against the New York Giants.

Friday, November 21, 9:36 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, out of Arizona, has seen his role decrease over the past few weeks. Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw a season-high 15 carries in Week 11 and ran for a very solid 5.27 YPC. Meanwhile, Croskey-Merritt saw a 27 percent snap share, and although he carried the ball nine times and caught one pass, it all added up to 33 all-purpose yards (3.11 YPC) against the Miami Dolphins in Spain. The Commanders are on a bye in Week 12, and it appears that this running back room is starting to shape out in a way where Rodriguez will get a bulk of the carries, Croskey-Merrritt will be the change of pace back, and Jeremy McNichols will get mixed in as the pass-catching option. Knowing all of this, it makes Rodriguez the clear running back to own in this backfield, and Croskey-Merritt can be dropped to the waiver wire if your team is in a pinch and you need to fill the roster spot with someone that can help you win now. In Week 13, the Commanders get the Denver Broncos, where none of the running backs will be a recommended start, as the Broncos' defense ranks top 5 in points allowed against opposing running backs.