Jeremy

McNichols

McNichols spent the season as the Commanders’ pass-catching back after Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles at the beginning of the season. He broke several tackles on a Beast Mode-esque 60-yard touchdown run in Week 3; that run was his only rushing touchdown and accounted for 27 percent of his rushing yards for the season. McNichols totaled 44 carries for 221 yards and a touchdown on the ground but often saw more passing-down snaps than rushing snaps, adding 25 receptions for 196 yards through the air. He will be a free agent heading into the offseason and could find a home as a pass-catching depth piece for a team’s backfield.

He wasn’t targeted in the passing game. With Chris Rodriguez unavailable due to a grain injury, Croskey-Merritt was the bellcow for the Commanders. He outrushed Jeremy McNichols by 91 yards (nine attempts for five yards) and McNichols also lost a fumble. The rookie tailback reached 90 yards for the first time since Week 5, and it seems likely he’ll see a similar amount of touches in Week 16 against the Eagles if Rodriguez can’t get healthy for that matchup.

McNichols led the Washington backs in catches but finished third on the team in rush attempts. He has a minor role through the air and doesn’t see much work on the ground. McNichols is more of a thorn in the side of the other Washington backs than a standalone fantasy asset. He is not worth holding onto through the team’s Week 12 bye.

Croskey-Merritt was out-gained by quarterback Marcus Mariota on the ground while fellow running back Jeremy McNichols led the team in receiving. It was an all-around poor showing by the Commanders after taking a 7-7 game into the half. Croskey-Merritt faces another difficult challenge against the Seahawks in Week 9, where he can’t be counted on as more than a FLEX play by fantasy managers.

He only played nine snaps to Jeremy McNichols’ 24, but managed to plunge in on a Marcus Mariota-led third quarter drive to get a touchdown. Rodriguez remains off the fantasy radar until he actually makes a move on “Bill” for more of the early-down duties, but he’s run well in limited samples this year.

McNichols could have had a bigger receiving game if not for an egregious drop with no one near him in the fourth quarter. The 29-year-old will remain the backup to Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and completely off the fantasy radar for Week 7 against the Cowboys.

All five of Rodriguez’s runs came on the final drive of the game with the Commanders up 20-10 — is this solely because of Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s fumble, or was it just closeout work? Either way, Rodriguez was barely active in the first half and Corskey-Merritt dominated usage. It will be hard to start Rodriguez or Jeremy McNichols going forward with how good Bill looked at the head of the committee today.

Not much to say here. McNichols saw two fewer carries than he did in Week 3, only this time he didn’t break off a 60-yard touchdown. The veteran back played well behind Chris Rodriguez and Jacory Croskey-Merritt in Sunday’s defeat and can be dropped from rosters in 10 and 12-team leagues.

McNichols’ four carries were the fewest of any Commanders running back, but his 78 yards on the ground led the team on a day where the Commanders totaled 201 yards and three scores on the ground. McNichols angrily burst through a hole and shook off multiple tacklers before breaking into the Raiders’ secondary for the longest run of his career. His 78 rushing yards also mark a new high. This one is a hard one to square. McNichols is a nine-year journeyman who entered the day with 650 career rushing yards in 56 games. While the situation in the Commanders’ backfield could call for him to see more work, especially after his impressive run, the touch distribution we saw against the Raiders suggests he’s the third RB in the rotation. Fantasy managers shouldn’t be rushing to start him in Week 4 against the Falcons.

McNichols will likely get a chance to replace Austin Ekeler (Achilles) as the Commanders’ passing game specialist. He was terribly inefficient as a receiver last season, averaging just 0.20 yards per route run. He can be stashed in PPR leagues by those willing to roll the dice on a likely low-ceiling player.