The Commanders’ receiving back missed last week due to a shoulder injury.
Washington has used a traditional two-man backfield to start the season, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt as the early-down back and White as the passing-down back. Kaytron Allen was the third back on the depth chart. Last week, in White’s absence, Washington brought back Austin Ekeler, the man who had White’s role in 2024 and early in 2025 before a season-ending injury. Washington also elevated Craig Reynolds from the practice squad. They both surpassed Allen on the depth chart, and Allen was subsequently released on Thursday. While Washington likely wanted Allen for the practice squad, the Miami Dolphins claimed him. This week, Washington was largely back to its two-man rotation. Ekeler only played six snaps. They all came in normal early-down situations in the second quarter. This is good news for Croskey-Merritt and White, as Ekeler looked good last week, and it seemed like he could turn this into more of a three-man rotation. Croskey-Merritt had a great day on the ground, gaining 11 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. However, Croskey-Merritt didn’t garner a target, and he needs at least a little bit of receiving volume to trust him in fantasy starting lineups.
The Commanders have used a traditional two-man rotation to start the season, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt handling most of the early-down work and White playing primarily on passing downs. The two have split short-yardage opportunities, although White has dominated the goal-line work. Kaytron Allen has been the only other running back to get playing time this season, but he has logged just 13 snaps. White didn’t practice all week because of a shoulder injury, prompting Washington to bring back Austin Ekeler, who served as the team’s receiving back last season before suffering a torn Achilles. The Commanders also elevated Craig Reynolds from the practice squad, leaving all four healthy running backs active for this game. Croskey-Merritt's initial usage was extremely promising. He played nine of the first 10 snaps and handled all three third-down snaps across Washington’s first two drives. That suggested a feature role, which would make him a must-start option as long as White remained sidelined. That didn’t last. Croskey-Merritt was ineffective as a runner, and the rotation became much more chaotic for the remainder of the first half as Washington moved away from its typical early-down/passing-down split. Ekeler operated as the primary back at times, while Reynolds also mixed in. Washington settled into a clearer rotation in the second half, with Croskey-Merritt and Ekeler splitting early-down snaps. Croskey-Merritt, Allen and Reynolds all saw opportunities on third downs. This performance makes Croskey-Merritt much harder to trust going forward. Ekeler becomes a waiver-wire target, as he could emerge as Washington’s top running back option. The second-half rotation also suggests the Commanders could use a three-man backfield even after White returns, with Croskey-Merritt and Ekeler handling early-down work and White taking most of the passing-down snaps. It’s also bad news for Allen. He appeared to be one injury away from a significant role, but both Ekeler and Reynolds played ahead of him with White sidelined. That makes it difficult to envision Allen holding meaningful fantasy value anytime soon.
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