Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Mike Washington Jr.: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 1 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

Washington's contingent workload offsets Croskey-Merritt's sturdier lead-back profile

Croskey-Merritt has the better baseline, but his questionable status and limited passing-game role leave little PPR insulation if his workload is reduced. Washington's appeal is the potential for a substantial role while Jeanty recovers, a possibility supported by SI.com (Raiders on SI) 2026-09-05 and NBC Sports 2026-08-28. That makes Washington viable despite his rookie uncertainty, while Croskey-Merritt carries the bigger availability risk; neither side has a dependable edge.

What flips it: Croskey-Merritt is cleared without a workload restriction.

Sources: SI.com (Raiders on SI) · Sep 5, 2026 · NBC Sports · Aug 28, 2026

AI editor

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

RB41WSHvs PHI

Projected Points

Sit
Mike Washington Jr.

Mike Washington Jr.

RB45LVvs MIA

Projected Points

Toss-Up

Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sit

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

Sit — RB41 by consensus and projection: 3% target share in 2025, Questionable on the latest report.

  • Lead-back status gives him the cleaner touch path if active, especially in a game where Washington could be limited.
  • His one-cut style and contact balance support efficient rushing, but he needs availability to matter.

Why Mike Washington Jr.

Toss-Up

Rookie RB2 in change-of-pace role. Complementary back behind the feature runner with no NFL sample yet.

Toss-up — RB45 by consensus and projection: MIA is the 10th-softest matchup vs RBs, 6.8 PPR projected vs MIA.

  • The Jeanty contingency creates legitimate volume upside rather than a routine change-of-pace role.
  • A clean injury designation gives him the safer path to his expected workload this week.

Latest on Washington

Role

With Ashton Jeanty working back from injury, Mike Washington Jr. is being counted on heavily at running back until Jeanty returns.

SI.com (Raiders on SI) · Sep 5, 2026
Role

Kubiak said Ashton Jeanty is "still on the mend" from his ankle injury, and rookie Mike Washington Jr. is expected to see a substantial role if Jeanty cannot play, after Washington ran 23 times for 168 yards (7.3 YPC) in the preseason.

NBC Sports · Aug 28, 2026

Head-to-head stats

MetricJacory Croskey-MerrittMike Washington Jr.
Projected points
Consensus rankRB41RB45
Opponent vs positionPHI · 19 of 320-game sampleMIA · 23 of 320-game sample
Rushing Yards17 of 3226 of 32
Rushing TDs19 of 3219 of 32
Rushing Attempts23 of 3221 of 32
Receptions9 of 3226 of 32
Receiving Yards26 of 3225 of 32
Anytime TD20 of 3223 of 32
Target share3%(2025)—
Reception share3%(2025)—
Implied total · spread20.5+5.522.3-3.0
Depth chartRB1RB2
Snap share40%(2025)—
Injury designationQuestionable—

Signal breakdown

  • 8.3 vs 6.8 projected PPR pointsJacory Croskey-Merritt +
  • Rank 41 vs 45Jacory Croskey-Merritt +
  • Opponent DvP rank 19 vs 23 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 20.5 vs 22.3 team pointsMike Washington Jr. +
  • Questionable vs no designationMike Washington Jr. +
  • Snap shareeven

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