Who Should I Start? Tyjae Spears or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Tuesday, August 26, 11:25 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (ankle) will start the season on injured reserve and miss a minimum of four games, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Spears suffered a high ankle sprain in preseason play that will end up sidelining him for close to two months. With Spears set to miss the start of the season, Tony Pollard should be in for a significant volume of snaps and touches in the Titans' backfield. Rookie sixth-rounder Kalel Mullings (ankle) now looks like the leader to be the RB2, but he's dealing with an ankle injury of his own. When Spears returns, he profiles as a low-end RB3/flex option, but fantasy managers need to downgrade him given the now-guaranteed missed time.

Saturday, September 6, 1:00 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt's role in the backfield is still unclear for Week 1 against the Giants. Croskey-Merritt, or who many now refer to as "Bill," was recently listed as RB4 on the team's unofficial depth chart. It becomes a question of whether the Washington coaching staff opts to keep four running backs active on gameday. Austin Ekeler will be in line to see most of the snaps, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols could also be in the mix for touches and play special teams. He is the most explosive and shifty runner in Washington's running back room, which should lead to some touches even if he isn't the starter right away. Croskey-Merritt has been one of the more trendy names of draft season, and he is one of the better upside picks to take. However, the usage is tough to predict for Week 1 and should likely stay on benches.