Few things have gone right for the Washington Commanders this season. Injuries and ineffectiveness have turned a playoff hopeful into a pumpkin. But Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt has been one of the bright spots. The seventh-round rookie has provided a measure of explosiveness the team didn’t have otherwise, but, like the rest of this group, he’s had his fair share of struggles. Can he head into the final weeks of the season on a positive note, starting with this matchup with the division rival Eagles?
Philadelphia is a seven-point favorite with -340 Moneyline odds, while Washington is a +270 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 44.5 points.
Here are my favorite Jacory Croskey-Merritt player props for this Week 16 matchup between the Eagles and Commanders.
Best Jacory Croskey-Merritt Prop Bets
Bill had the chance to turn his season around last week. He was slowly losing the RB1 job to Chris Rodriguez, who provided a stability that the coaching staff came to trust. Croskey-Merritt’s two lowest snap counts of the season came in Weeks 13 and 14. Then, Rodriguez missed the Week 15 tilt against the Giants, opening the door back up for ol’ Bill. He sure took advantage, running 18 times for 96 yards and a score.
But this performance showed his limitations as much as it showed his strengths. Without Rodriguez, he had a 2/3rds share of all running back carries on the team, ceding nine carries to Jeremy McNichols, who was entirely ineffective. Yet Croskey-Merritt remained altogether uninvolved in the passing game, drawing zero targets. It’s the same old story: this coaching staff won’t trust the rookie with pass protection duties. That has limited his upside all year.
Another bad sign for Bill is that Chris Rodriguez was a full participant in practice this week and is set to return from his groin injury. Now, the two will reignite the usual backfield split against a very stout Eagles run defense. There is one sliver of hope, however. Jalen Carter, Philly’s top defensive tackle, has been ruled out.
It’s not a great matchup, but with the season all but over, it behooves the Commanders to give Croskey-Merritt some snaps he wouldn’t get if they were competitive. His rushing lines are low enough to be valuable.
