DKNetwork Logo DKNetwork Logo
NFL Week 2 Start or Sit: Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Austin Ekeler?

NFL Week 2 Start or Sit: Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Austin Ekeler?

DraftKings Fantasy Advice DFS NFL DFS Rail

Updated:

By: Alex Hunter

After Brian Robinson Jr. was traded to the 49ers last month, Croskey-Merritt ($7,000 for Showdown) became a trendy pick for fantasy football drafts and the rookie delivered in Week 1 with a strong NFL debut of 14.2 FPTS. The Arizona product rushed for 82 carries and a touchdown on 10 carries in the Commanders’ 21-6 win over the Giants. Croskey-Merritt averaged an elite 8.2 YPC, which ranked third among all the running backs in Week 1 that saw at least 10 carries. His 10 carries led Washington’s backfield, and Croskey-Merritt saw two redzone carries. However, the rookie was almost exclusively only used as a rusher. Croskey-Merritt only logged 32.9% of the snaps, and he only saw one target on a team-low 19% route rate.

Meanwhile, Ekeler ($6,800) was heavily utilized in the passing game, as always. The veteran hauled in all three of his targets for 31 yards. Ekeler was targeted on 15% of his routes, and he ran a route on 51% of his team’s dropbacks. Also, Ekeler saw six carries – including two redzone carries – which he turned into 26 yards. Overall, Ekeler finished with 8.7 FPTS.

Based on this usage, it appears that Washington’s plan is to have Croskey-Merritt be the team’s lead rusher, while Ekeler is the primary receiving back, who also mixes in with some groundwork.

All this usage came in a game that the Commanders led for the entirety of the contest. Now, Washington heads to Green Bay for a tough road matchup vs. the Packers at Lambeau Field, and the Commanders are a 3.5-point underdog for this matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook.

In this situation, Washington could trail for a good chunk of this tilt and a negative game script certainly would favor Ekeler over Croskey-Merritt for fantasy purposes, given the latter’s lack of usage as a receiver in Week 1. The Packers gave up the third-fewest yards per rush in Week 1 (2.1) and if Croskey-Merritt is primarily only used a rusher in this matchup, he could struggle to make an impact. Conversely, Green Bay was very susceptible to receiving backs in Week 1, allowing a league-high 14 catches to running backs.

As you can see, this is a much better spot for Ekeler to produce, and trusting the veteran over Croskey-Merritt in Week 2 is the right move.

Start or Sit: Start Austin Ekeler

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.