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

Tuesday, November 25, 9:34 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears continued to share time in the backfield in Week 12's matchup with the Seahawks. He only had three carries for four yards, compared to Tony Pollard's 11 carries for 20 yards. Each running back also posted exactly four catches on five targets for 21 yards. While Pollard got more work this week, Spears played 43% of snaps and remains in almost an even snap share. If he can get going in any week, he'll likely end up with over 50% of snaps, as he did in Week 8 and Week 11. His best game of the year was Week 8 against Indianapolis, when he had nine carries for 59 yards and his only touchdown of the season. Spears is getting enough work to still be a deep-league flex play from the waiver wire, although he has tough running back matchups against the Jaguars and Browns the next two weeks.

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.