The Commanders present an interesting backfield to assess for fantasy football this season. Second-year back Croskey-Merritt sits atop the depth chart after an up-and-down rookie season while behind him is a veteran in White, whom Washington signed to a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason.
Croskey-Merritt has been going early in drafts with an ADP of 107 on Yahoo, while White is going a few rounds later at an ADP of 125. Clearly, the public expects Croskey-Merritt to be the more valuable fantasy asset, but is there any chance White outproduces him this season?
Croskey-Merritt vs. White
During his rookie season, Croskey-Merritt was efficient on the ground, averaging 4.6 YPC and rushing for eight touchdowns in 17 games. The back eclipsed 100 yards rushing twice and he had 21 rushes of 10+ yards. However, while Croskey-Merritt displayed solid upside as a rusher, he was almost a non-factor in the passing game.
Croskey-Merritt finished with just nine receptions and 68 yards on 13 targets and 140 routes. This was a continuation of how the back was used in his two years in college, finishing with just seven catches in 13 games.
The Commanders moved on from OC Kliff Kingsbury this offseason to hire first-time OC David Blough, so this offense likely will operate much differently this season, but given Croskey-Merritt has never been used much as a pass catcher throughout his collegiate and professional careers, it’s difficult to imagine things change dramatically in that department, especially with White in town.
White has been a productive receiver in his first four years in the NFL, hauling in 207 passes. This past season with the Buccaneers, White caught 40-of-42 targets for 218 yards, giving him the second-best catch rate among backs who saw 20+ targets.
White also was solid as a rusher this past season, averaging 4.3 YPC, tying his career high. That being said, White made seven starts with Bucky Irving sidelined and the most White produced on the ground in those games was 65 yards.
White has always been more effective through the air and bringing him in makes a ton of sense for Washington to complement Croskey-Merritt.
Croskey-Merritt should see the bulk of the carries, but White should see some rushes and he should handle almost all the passing down work. Being the lead rusher obviously sounds more appealing, but Croskey-Merritt’s lack of involvement as a receiver makes him game script dependent, which is concerning.
Last season, Croskey-Merritt averaged 14.8 FPTS per game in the Commanders’ five wins, but just 6.2 FPTS per game in the team’s 12 losses. Jayden Daniels is healthy again, but there are major concerns about Washington’s offensive line and defense.
The Commanders’ O/U for wins on DraftKings Sportsbook is set at 7.5 with a -125 lean towards the under and there is a good chance that the Commanders play from behind often this season, which favors White, as he will likely be this team’s primary pass catcher out of the backfield.
There are paths to White out touching Crosky-Merritt this season and White scoring more FPTS in half point and full PPR formats is a real possibility, but for standard leagues, where touchdowns are king, Croskey-Merritt has the clear edge.
While it feels like White has been in the league for a very long time, he is only 27 years old and entering just his fifth season in the NFL. With him slipping about two rounds later than Croskey-Merritt in most drafts, I prefer grabbing White at the discounted price.
