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

Tuesday, November 4, 11:59 AM

In five games since returning from an ankle injury that held him out to start the 2025 season, Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears has recorded 248 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 43 touches. The 24-year-old has been a consistent feature in the Titans' passing game, earning at least four targets and three receptions in each of his last four contests. Spears and veteran back Tony Pollard have been splitting backfield work relatively evenly in Tennessee. However, Pollard's name has been floated on the trade block, and there's a chance the rebuilding Titans move him before Tuesday's trade deadline. Spears could move into must-start territory as a fantasy running back if Pollard is moved. Even if the Titans hold on to Pollard, Spears has flex appeal in the right matchups. In shallow leagues where Spears remains available, he's worth targeting on the waiver wire even as the Titans hit their Week 10 bye.

Tuesday, November 4, 4:40 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has struggled over the past month after a hot start to the season. The rookie has recorded 51 carries for 151 yards, no touchdowns, and a lost fumble while adding just three receptions (five targets) for nine yards in his past four games. Croskey-Merritt was outproduced by third-year back Chris Rodriguez Jr. in Washington's blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. Rodriguez could be earning his way back into a more prominent role on early downs while veteran Jeremy McNichols handles the pass-down responsibilities. Croskey-Merritt has been held below four yards per carry in each of the last four games and has a longest run of just 11 yards in that time. Now, with star quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) out for an extended period of time, the Washington offense as a whole takes a significant hit. Croskey-Merritt doesn't catch passes, and now that the explosive runs have dried up, it's left fantasy managers with a disappointing result. After a promising start to his career, Croskey-Merritt looks more like an RB3/RB4 option than the potential league winner he appeared to be earlier in the year.