Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Mark Andrews: Who Should You Start?
Preliminary board2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.
Start Mark Andrews for the role, not the projection
Start Mark Andrews: the near-identical projections hide a meaningful role advantage at tight end, where his target share and snap rate provide steadier access to touches than Croskey-Merritt's rushing-led profile. Washington's lead back has a credible path through volume and a 23.5 implied total, but limited passing-game work makes him more touchdown- and game-script-dependent. Andrews also benefits from Baltimore's stronger scoring environment, and his TE1 red-zone role gives this narrow call more substance than the raw projection gap suggests; the risk is a blowout reducing late-game usage.
What flips it: Croskey-Merritt gaining a meaningful passing-game role.
AI editor
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
8.99.610.2 Projected Points
Mark Andrews
6.78.410.1 Projected Points
Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s market
Mark Andrews’s market
Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt
StartLead back and volume runner. Decisive one-cut rusher with tackle-breaking contact balance; limited passing-game work.
Start — RB41 consensus, projects RB32 this week: 3% target share, 10.2 PPR projected vs DAL.
- Lead-back status gives him a usable rushing floor, but thin receiving involvement narrows his routes to a favorable script.
- His path to beating Andrews is a rushing touchdown or heavier-than-expected workload.
Latest on Croskey-Merritt
The Commanders have cleared Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Daron Payne to play in Sunday's season opener against the Eagles.
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Why Mark Andrews
Start· mediumTE1 and red-zone mismatch. Veteran seam-stretcher with strong hands and quarterback rapport.
25% target share and 72% snaps in a 27-point implied offense — Andrews is a top-12 TE role even with a TE15 projection.
- His red-zone mismatch and quarterback rapport make the target volume more bankable than the raw projection gap suggests.
- Baltimore's stronger scoring environment gives Andrews more ways to cash in beyond reception volume.
The call
- A 25% target share is elite for the position; Andrews is the clear passing-game focal point at TE with a 72% snap share and no injury designation.
- Baltimore's 27.0 implied total and -7.5 spread point to a high-scoring, red-zone-heavy script, which is exactly where Andrews cashes in on touchdowns.
- The DvP composite of 12 of 32 reads mildly unfavorable, but it's a 1-game sample with 0.00 confidence — not enough to override the usage.
- Risk is the 10.1 projection and TE15 label: if Baltimore builds a lead and leans run, the volume ceiling narrows to a 6-8 point day.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | Mark Andrews |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 8.99.610.2 | 6.78.410.1 |
| Consensus rank | RB41 | TE15 |
| Opponent vs position | DAL · 17 of 321-game sample | NO · 12 of 321-game sample |
| Rushing Yards | 22 of 32 | — |
| Rushing TDs | 15 of 32 | — |
| Rushing Attempts | 20 of 32 | — |
| Receptions | 12 of 32 | 18 of 32 |
| Receiving Yards | 11 of 32 | 17 of 32 |
| Anytime TD | 22 of 32 | 1 of 32 |
| Receiving TDs | — | 1 of 32 |
| Targets | — | 24 of 32 |
| Target share | 3% | 25% |
| Reception share | 6% | 24% |
| Implied total · spread | 23.5+4.5 | 27.0-7.5 |
| Depth chart | RB1 | TE1 |
| Snap share | 49% | 72% |
| Start/Sit record | — | 0–1 |
Recent form
Jacory Croskey-Merritt — last 1 week
| Week 1 | vs PHI | 11.612.112.6 |
Mark Andrews — last 1 week
| Week 1 | vs IND | 4.96.98.9 |
Signal breakdown
- 10.2 vs 10.1 projected PPR pointsJacory Croskey-Merritt +
- Rank 41 vs 15Mark Andrews +
- Opponent DvP rank 17 vs 12 (32 = softest)even
- Implied 23.5 vs 27.0 team pointsMark Andrews +
- No injury designationseven
- 49% vs 72% snap shareMark Andrews +
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