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

Monday, January 5, 2:13 PM

Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson carried the ball 13 times for 53 yards in Sunday's blowout win over the Dolphins, finding the end zone twice in a game that saw most of New England's starters sidelined early in the fourth quarter. Henderson finishes his rookie campaign with 911 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns. The Patriots face a stingy Chargers defense in Wild Card Weekend, but Henderson's homerun ability and steadily increasing usage near the goal line make him a strong opening play in playoff fantasy leagues of all formats. New England has averaged 35 rush attempts over their last two games and will likely look to stick to that formula in a game in which they open as 3.5-point favorites at home.

Thursday, January 1, 4:37 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (illness) was able to practice in full on Thursday after he was held out due to illness on Wednesday. Croskey-Merritt had his second 100-yard game and two rushing touchdowns in last week's Christmas Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys, with Chris Rodriguez Jr. out due to illness. Rodriguez is back in the fold for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles this weekend, though, so fantasy managers will want to lower expectations for Croskey-Merritt in the final game of his rookie season. The 24-year-old JCM could be Washington's lead back against the Eagles, but Rodriguez's presence will definitely cap the rookie's upside this weekend.