Fantasy Football News

Commanders RB Jeremy McNichols is expected to miss multiple months with a foot injury suffered in Sunday night's win over the Eagles, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. McNichols had been working in a 3-RB committee with Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler the past two weeks, totaling 10 carries and one target. That 3-man committee will now be a 2-man committee, at least for the next two weeks with RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt on IR. Ekeler is still unlikely to be a fantasy asset, but White gets a boost.

Rachaad White finished Week 8 as the RB14 pending Monday Night Football after turning a season-high 11 carries into 55 yards and a TD while adding five more yards on 2 receptions. He’s led the Commanders backfield in rush attempts each of the past two weeks with fellow RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt being placed on IR following a groin injury.

The Commanders are placing RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt on IR with his groin injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. JCM was already ruled out for tonight's game vs. the 49ers but will now miss at least 3 more. We won't see him until Week 11 at the earliest, making Croskey-Merritt droppable in shallower fantasy leagues. Washington activated RB Jeremy McNichols from IR in a corresponding move. He joins Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler in the backfield. We're expecting White to control the work, but we'll see what the backfield looks like tonight.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Commanders "plan" to rule RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt out for Monday night's game against the 49ers because of his groin injury. Croskey-Merritt missed practice all week.

Update: Croskey-Merritt has been ruled out. HC Dan Quinn said he aggravated the groin injury he suffered in late August. JCM at least gets a well-timed Week 7 bye.

The Commanders released RB Kaytron Allen. He essentially lost his roster spot to 31-year-old Austin Ekeler. Tough look for the sixth-round rookie, who averaged 3.4 yards per carry on 12 attempts for Washington. We'll see where Allen lands next, but he's not worth rostering in redraft leagues and isn't a must-stash in dynasty. The Commanders move forward with RBs Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, and Ekeler.

Commanders RB Rachaad White (shoulder) is out for Sunday morning’s game vs. the Colts after missing practice all week. His absence leaves Washington with RBs Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kaytron Allen, and Austin Ekeler. We’ll see if Ekeler is ready to play after signing earlier this week, but he’s the only RB in that trio with pass-catching chops.

Commanders RB Rachaad White (shoulder) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. Although he played through this issue last week, he's seemingly in danger of missing Sunday morning's game vs. the Colts. White has handled 24% of Washington's carries and 9% of the targets through 3 weeks. If he's unable to go, we could see newly signed RB Austin Ekeler play on Sunday.

Commanders RB Rachaad White (shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday. He played through this issue last weekend vs. Seattle, which would typically mean that he'll be able to play this week. But it's worth noting that Washington added RB Austin Ekeler, who has a similar pass-catching skill set to White. We'll see if he gets back on the practice field tomorrow.

The Commanders are signing RB Austin Ekeler to their 53-man roster, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Ekeler spent the past 2 seasons in Washington, although his 2025 ended in Week 2 with a torn right Achilles. He's evidently been medically cleared, but it's tough to believe he has much juice left coming off that injury at 31 years old. Ekeler is also a strange fit with this version of the Commanders, who already have a pass-catching back in Rachaad White. We'll see exactly how Ekeler fits in, but we wouldn't both adding him to fantasy rosters right now.

The Commanders believe RB Austin Ekeler tore his right Achilles in Thursday night's loss to the Packers, according to multiple reports. That's what it looked like when he went down late in the fourth quarter of a game that was already decided. Ekeler is undergoing additional testing on Friday to confirm the diagnosis. It'd be a season-ending injury and could threaten Ekeler's career. He's 30 and set to hit free agency this offseason. What's his absence mean for Washington's backfield going forward? Let's dig in.

Though he entered the game as Washington's No. 3 RB, seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt lived up to his considerable preseason hype by rushing for a team-high 82 yards and his first NFL touchdown as the Commanders cruised to a 21-6 victory over the Giants.

Crosky-Merritt emerged as a fantasy sleeper with a strong preseason showing. The resulting trade of Brian Robinson to San Francisco cemented Crosky-Merritt as a mid-to-late round target with upside.

In Washington's opener, he lived up to that billing.

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez is a healthy scratch for today’s game vs. the Giants. RBs Austin Ekeler, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jeremy McNichols are active for Washington. McNichols notably plays special teams, while Rodriguez does not. The news makes Croskey-Merritt a safer Week 1 fantasy play. We’re projecting him to lead in early-down snaps, while Ekeler mixes in and dominates passing-down work.

After plenty of trade speculation, the Washington Commanders have traded RB Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Commanders HC Dan Quinn said Thursday that RB Chris Rodriguez will likely be the team's short-yardage and goal-line back with RB Brian Robinson headed out of town. "Chris has that tackle-breaking ability, especially in a small space," Quinn said.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson was held out of Monday night's preseason game amid reports that he'll be traded or released. RB Chris Rodriguez drew the start and played all four snaps on QB Jayden Daniels' lone drive. Rodriguez and RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt worked in a rotation the rest of the first half, with RB Jeremy McNichols handling obvious passing-down snaps. (RB Austin Ekeler did not play.) Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt both ran well. Rodriguez ripped off this 40-yarder on Washington's second offensive snap, finishing with six carries for 62 yards. Croskey-Merritt broke loose for this 27-yard TD and finished with 46 yards on 11 carries.

The Commanders "have been shopping" RB Brian Robinson, insider Jordan Schultz reports. Robinson has led Washington RBs in carries and rushing yards in each of the last three seasons. But he's averaged a mediocre 4.1 yards per carry and is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

The Athletic's Ben Standig highlighted RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt as a standout in the team's recent rookie camp. Standig was particularly impressed by Croskey-Merritt's agility and burst, elements that Washington's backfield lacked last year. "If this proves to be real," Standig said of Croskey-Merritt's performance, "this is the element this offense could use. ... If you ask me for a bold prediction, I could see Croskey-Merritt getting into the [RB] rotation."