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Is Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Rachaad White the Commanders' starting running back? Should I draft Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Rachaad White for fantasy football drafts?
The Washington Commanders backfield is one of the most discussed among the fantasy football community. While Jacory Croskey-Merritt took many of the opportunities in 2025, Chris Rodriguez Jr. emerged as a potential late-season waiver wire option following the rookie's struggles.
However, with Rodriguez leaving the team in free agency and being replaced by Rachaad White, one of the game's most productive pass-catching options at the position, this backfield is difficult to project heading into 2026.
Who should fantasy managers draft from this backfield this season? Who will provide the most fantasy value? Let's dive in!
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Jacory Croskey-Merritt 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
Croskey-Merritt emerged as a major training camp riser last summer. Given that Washington lacked a proven early-down option, Croskey-Merritt quickly claimed that role while Austin Ekeler served as the change-of-pace option. The seventh-rounder out of Arizona quickly flashed upside, totaling 82 yards and a score in his NFL debut.
After a few quiet efforts, he would enjoy an impressive two-touchdown 111-yard effort in Week 5, which put him back on the fantasy radar. However, following the injury to Jayden Daniels, the entire Washington offense took a major step back down the stretch.
As a result, from Weeks 6 through 14, Croskey-Merritt took a major step back. During this noted eight-game stretch, the rookie would average a disappointing 4.0 PPR points per game while totaling just 33.4 rushing yards per game.
While he began to show flashes down the stretch (totaling more than 15.0 PPR points per game in two of his last four), Croskey-Merritt's inconsistency raised concerns about his profile heading into the 2026 season.
Despite this, the Commanders did not make any major improvements to their backfield, adding only White (a primary pass-catcher) and drafting Kaytron Allen in the sixth round. As a result, Croskey-Merritt will be given an opportunity to claim this lead job to begin the regular season.
In training camp, reports have suggested that Croskey-Merritt has taken strides to improve his passing-game production and has even "bulked up" relative to his rookie status.
However, fantasy managers should monitor his status, as he is nursing a groin injury. While he is currently working on a side practice field (suggesting it is relatively minor), any type of setback could clear the path for White to take on a larger role early in the season.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (lower body) continues to work back from his injury according to Commanders HC Dan Quinn, but is practicing in at least limited fashion today. pic.twitter.com/T7ZZSQoIl6
— David Harrison (@DHarrison82) August 25, 2026
Rachaad White 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
White joined the Commanders on a one-year contract in the offseason. While he was not given a massive salary, that does not suggest he will not play a major role in this offense.
After struggling from an inefficiency standpoint in his career (averaging less than 4.0 YPC in his first two seasons). He has since averaged much higher, 4.3 YPC in each of his last two campaigns. In 2025, White took 132 attempts for 572 yards and four rushing scores.
Through the air, White brought in 40 passes for 218 yards. Even though that was a drop from the 393 yards and six touchdowns he tallied as a receiver the year prior, he continued to see consistent snaps in passing situations.
Joining the Commanders, White is slated to replace Ekeler, who operated as the change-of-pace option in D.C. during his tenure. While Ekeler only appeared in two games in 2025, he caught an impressive 35 passes in 2024, serving as a safety valve for Daniels.
Throughout OTAs and training camp, the coaching staff has spoken quite highly of White and has even declared him a "winner" of the early OTAs. Despite this, they opted not to declare a true starting running back and have still yet to do so.
Who Should You Draft in 2026 Fantasy Football?
Current reports suggest that this backfield is likely tending toward a committee approach. Croskey-Merritt projects to be the favorite to see more touches as a "rusher", putting him in a prime spot to see the early-down work and the high-value touches near the goal line.
As a result, White is slated to operate primarily as a third-down option, but that may not lower his fantasy value as much as it appears on the surface. Despite operating primarily as a third-down option in 2024, Ekeler found success in Washington, finishing the season as the RB31 in terms of FPTS/G (PPR), making him a viable FLEX option in most 12-team leagues that have larger rosters.
In fact, Ekeler drew 3.4 targets per game and saw 4.0 targets or more in seven games that season (including the postseason).
As a result, those in PPR formats should feel comfortable selecting White as a depth option for their roster. While he may not see consistent options on the ground, White could provide a safe floor in the receiving game, given the addition of Stefon Diggs.
The Commanders will be without star left tackle Laremy Tunsil, which will likely force Daniels to look to White as a check-down, especially if he faces consistent pressure.
However, for those looking for the upside play in this backfield, Croskey-Merritt should be the preferred target. Even though his rookie campaign was not the most consistent, he showed flashes of high-end upside at times and could thrive with Daniels fully healthy.
Additionally, the previous reports of Croskey-Merritt's strides as a pass catcher could open the door for an even safer floor on a weekly basis. While he may open the season as a low-end RB2, Croskey-Merritt has the path to emerge as a weekly option if he were to emerge as a consistent every-down option.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
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Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Chig Okonkwo, Kaytron Allen:
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