Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Croskey-Merritt rushed the ball 11 times for 30 yards in Sunday's 44-22 loss to the Lions. He was not targeted.

Croskey-Merritt's Week 10 showing marks his sixth sub-40-yard rushing outing. The run-centric back is struggling to produce on his own, but the Commanders also continue to fall into pass-heavy game scripts. Things were briefly looking up on the sixth drive, when he touched the ball on five of the first seven plays, before being subbed out when the offense was on the Lions' five-yard line on third down. On the next play, Commanders QB Marcus Mariota lined up in the shotgun, snapped the ball and patty-caked it into WR Deebo Samuel's hands, who had been sent in motion pre-snap. The play gained just one yard, but the Commanders successfully went back to Samuel on a flat route in the end zone on fourth down. Croskey-Merrit was later brought in for a two-point conversion attempt, but he was stood up by Lions LB Jack Campbell. RB Chris Rodriguez notably suffered a shoulder injury this afternoon, and the Commanders face the Dolphins' league-worst run defense in Week 11.

Rodriguez out-snapped Jacory Croskey-Merritt 17-4 in the first half before hurting his shoulder after logging one snap in the third quarter. He was initially labeled as questionable to return, but never retook the field. While Croskey-Merritt has continued to disappoint, Rodriguez hardly played better, averaging 2.7 yards per carry. His touchdown was an easy one-yard scamper off the left tackle on the Commanders' fourth drive.

Facing the Lions without McLaurin and Daniels gives the Commanders long odds of pulling off the upset. Fortunately, they have a capable backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota, and lead rusher, RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (tooth) was medically cleared on Friday. The defense will have CB Trey Amos on hand. The rookie cornerback injured his hip last week against the Seahawks. He practiced fully on Friday.

Grant Paulsen of 1067 The Fan expects to see "a lot" of Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez vs. the Lions on Sunday. Paulsen notes that Rodriguez was named a team captain for the game. That could mean absolutely nothing for his Week 10 role, but it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if Rodriguez stole some work from RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The rookie has struggled lately, mustering just 3.1 yards per carry over his last four games. Rodriguez has averaged 4.9 over that same span and posted a season-best 12-65-1 rushing line in last week's blowout loss to the Seahawks. We'll keep tabs on the backfield usage tomorrow, but it's a situation to avoid in Week 10 fantasy lineups.