Rachaad White logged 7 carries for the second straight game Sunday but boosted his receiving production in the loss to the Cowboys. He caught all 6 of his targets for 40 yards, leading the team in receptions and ranking third in yardage. His 6 targets tied WR Stefon Diggs and WR Dyami Brown for second behind WR Terry McLaurin's 9. White also led the RB playing time after trailing Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the opener.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: JCM When Favored, White When Not?
White pretty clearly benefited from the Commanders trailing badly for multiple segments of Sunday's loss. That helped push the pass rate from 56.7% in the Week 1 loss to Philly to 62.7% at Dallas.
Game script was the obvious difference as well. Washington produced near-identical neutral-situation pass rates:
- 54.8% vs. Philadelphia
- 54.2% vs. Dallas
White trailed Croskey-Merritt 34-29 in total snaps in Week 1, leading him by a single route, and probably would have fallen further behind if Washington hadn't benched JCM after a late fumble.
Week 2 found White leading 37-26 in total snaps and running 26 pass routes to Croskey-Merritt's eight.
The takeaway: White's probably the better play if you expect the Commanders to spend the game trailing. Croskey-Merritt looks like your guy when Washington's favored or the game's tighter.
In each case, rookie Kaytron Allen mixed in for just a smattering of snaps.
A Week 3 home date with the Seahawks looks like more of a White game, though Drew Lock starting at QB adds variability to the game script.
The Colts and Giants present softer defenses the following two weeks, potentially supporting Croskey-Merritt as a high-RB3-level option.
