Analyze Jacory Croskey Merritt's matchup for week 11
Croskey-Merritt has fallen to third on Washington’s depth chart behind Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Austin Ekeler, capping him at 2-5 touches despite a mouth-watering matchup with the Giants’ 4th-most-generous RB defense.
The Giants have bled 4.9 yards per carry and the 4th-most RB fantasy points this year, so the paper matchup is pristine. Unfortunately Washington’s backfield is a four-headed committee: Ekeler handles passing/goal-line work, Rodriguez has seized early-down duties, and Croskey-Merritt is left with scraps. Even with Marcus Mariota under center and a run-heavy script expected, the volume simply won’t be there for the rookie.
After a 5.2 YPC start that created buzz, Croskey-Merritt has logged 7 yards on 2 carries in Week 10 while his snap share evaporated and Chris Rodriguez Jr. out-touched him 12-2.
Croskey-Merritt’s 2025 arc is the classic preseason helium pop. A seventh-round rookie thrust into relevance when Brian Robinson was traded, he flashed efficiency (377 yards, 4 TD on 73 carries) but never secured the coaching staff’s full trust. Two lost fumbles and pass-protection lapses opened the door for Rodriguez, who has averaged 5.1 YPC over the last month and already has two goal-line scores in the past three games. With Ekeler locked into the two-minute and red-zone packages, the Commanders now deploy a strict three-man rotation that leaves Croskey-Merritt as the change-of-pace option—an role that nets 5-8 snaps a game and is game-script dependent. Against a Giants front that just allowed 163 combined yards to Zack Moss and Chase Brown, the team will still pound the rock, but the touches are funneling to Rodriguez first and Ekeler second. Until an injury or another fumble from Rodriguez occurs, Croskey-Merritt’s weekly ceiling is a single explosive 20-yard run and nothing more. Bench him in redraft, avoid in DFS, and monitor the depth chart rather than the opponent.