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Is Austin Ekeler out for the season? When is Austin Ekeler coming back? The latest Austin Ekeler injury update and fantasy football outlook for Week 3 of 2025.
Following the offseason trade of starting running back Brian Robinson Jr., veteran Austin Ekeler was listed as the Commanders starter going into Week 1. Unfortunately, that only lasted for two weeks, as Ekeler suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2 against the Packers.
With Ekeler out for the season, it will be up to seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt and incumbents Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols to pick up the slack. The team also signed former Buccaneers running back Chase Edmonds on Tuesday.
Will the Commanders be able to replace Ekeler's production this season? Should fantasy managers pick up a Washington running back off the waiver wire? Let's dive in!
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Can The Commanders Replace Austin Ekeler?
Even before Ekeler suffered his injury, Croskey-Merritt was generating significant buzz before the start of the season. Despite being just a seventh-round pick, his performance was a primary reason for the trade of Robinson, as Washington must have been confident that it could replace his production with its other RBs.
I do believe that Croskey-Merritt can do at least a serviceable job as Washington's RB1. He was only a seventh-round pick due to complications following a transfer to Arizona. This caused him to play just one game in his final year of college. But Croskey-Merritt proved his mettle in 2023, rushing for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns for New Mexico. He also has an exceptional athletic profile; he runs a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and boasts a remarkable 41.5-inch vertical jump.
Croskey-Merritt will likely take on most of the early down work, with Rodriguez mixing in occasionally. Edmonds and McNichols will likely handle the majority of the third-down snaps. However, outside of Croskey-Merritt, I do not think the other Commanders running backs will have much fantasy relevance.
Introducing Bill Croskey-Merritt = RB1 for the Washington Commanders.
On his opportunity ahead, Bill said, "I treat it like I'm still at the bottom. Nothing is going to change. My work ethic is still going to stay the same. I'm just hungry."
Now, that's one heck of an answer! pic.twitter.com/2pnJIqla1V
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) September 17, 2025
Waiver Wire RBs To Replace Austin Ekeler
If you drafted Ekeler, you likely did so as a backup option in Round 8 or later. This means that you don't need to pull a starting-caliber RB out of thin air to save your fantasy team. But some high-upside options could be on your waiver wires at this point in the season.
And like Croskey-Merritt, one of these players has come into a bigger role due to a trade of a running back ahead of him on the depth chart. Initially the third-stringer in Jacksonville, rookie Bhayshul Tuten has become the primary backup to Travis Etienne Jr. in Jacksonville. He has also been effective with the ball in his hands, posting 74 total yards and a receiving touchdown in the team's Week 2 loss to Cincinnati.
Another waiver pickup you should consider is Houston's Woody Marks. Nick Chubb is the primary ball-carrier for the Houston offense, but he has rarely been utilized as a pass-catcher in his career. Enter Marks, a rookie who has plenty of experience making plays through the air during his college career. In fact, he has more college receptions than Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, and TreVeyon Henderson combined.
1st career catch for Woody Marks goes for 37 yards!
TBvsHOU on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/JttFoMqixS— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2025
A final waiver wire pickup to replace Ekeler: Giants RB Cam Skattebo. The rookie emerged as the lead back in the Big Apple in Week 2, leading the RB room in snaps, carries, and yards. He also scored a touchdown and caught two passes. Skattebo's big frame allows him to punish defenders on inside runs and has the potential to be a weapon in the red zone.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pickup... all free! Make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Bhayshul Tuten, Trey Benson, Najee Harris, Blake Corum, Brian Robinson Jr., Rachaad White:
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