Derrick Henry or Jacory Croskey-Merritt: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 5 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

Start Henry — the projection and consensus rank edges are too wide to ignore.

Derrick Henry projects 18.4 to Croskey-Merritt's 9.0 and is the higher consensus play (RB9 to RB41). Croskey-Merritt's edge is the matchup, 12 of 32 to 11. The gap is wide.

Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry

RB9BALvs ATL

Projected Points

Start
Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

RB41WSHvs NYG

Projected Points

Start

Derrick Henry’s market

RUSH YDS
O/U 91.5
-114 / -114
Rushing Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
-160
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s market

ATD
Anytime TD
+105
Anytime Touchdown Props →
BAL@
ATLSun, Oct 11, 8:20 PM ETView the game →
NYG@
WSHSun, Oct 11, 1:00 PM ETView the game →

Why Derrick Henry

Start

RB1 and workhorse power back. Elite size-speed tackle-breaker with heavy volume and goal-line dominance.

Start — every-week RB start at consensus RB9: 26.5 implied team total, 7% target share.

  • ATL ranks 11 of 32 against RBs (one of the tougher matchups, 4-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 26.5 team points as 4.5-point favorites.
  • Listed RB on the latest depth chart with a 59% snap share.

Latest on Henry

Tennessee Titans, Derrick Henry on different paths at the moment

The running back has been on an upward trajectory since leaving Tennessee, while the Titans have followed a diverging path.

ESPN · Oct 2, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Start

Lead back and volume runner. Decisive one-cut rusher with tackle-breaking contact balance; limited passing-game work.

Start — RB41 consensus, projects RB32 this week: 25.0 implied team total, 5% target share.

  • NYG ranks 12 of 32 against RBs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 4-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 25.0 team points as 1.5-point favorites.
  • Listed RB on the latest depth chart with a 47% snap share.

Head-to-head stats

MetricDerrick HenryJacory Croskey-Merritt
Projected points
Consensus rankRB9RB41
Opponent vs positionATL · 11 of 324-game sampleNYG · 12 of 324-game sample
Rushing Yards2 of 3223 of 32
Rushing TDs9 of 329 of 32
Rushing Attempts1 of 329 of 32
Receptions28 of 329 of 32
Receiving Yards14 of 325 of 32
Anytime TD11 of 3219 of 32
Target share7%5%
Reception share9%6%
Implied total · spread26.5-4.525.0-1.5
Depth chartRB1RB1
Snap share59%47%
Start/Sit record—0–0+1 toss-up

Recent form

Derrick Henry — last 4 weeks

Week 4vs TEN
Week 3vs DAL
Week 2vs NO
Week 1vs IND

Jacory Croskey-Merritt — last 4 weeks

Week 4vs IND
Week 3vs SEA
Week 2vs DAL
Week 1vs PHI

Signal breakdown

  • 18.4 vs 9.0 projected PPR pointsDerrick Henry +
  • Rank 9 vs 41Derrick Henry +
  • Opponent DvP rank 11 vs 12 (32 = softest)Jacory Croskey-Merritt +
  • Implied 26.5 vs 25.0 team pointsDerrick Henry +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 59% vs 47% snap shareDerrick Henry +

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