Chris Rodriguez Jr. · Jacory Croskey-Merritt · 2026 week 9

Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt?

Wondering who you should start this week — Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Jacory Croskey-MerrittJacory Croskey-Merritt projects 2.2 PPR points clear of Chris Rodriguez Jr. in week 9, drawing CIN — the 21st-ranked matchup for RBs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Chris Rodriguez Jr.	@ BAL	5.9	23rd	6.8	253	healthy
Jacory Croskey-Merritt START	vs CIN	8.1	21st	8.8	122	IR

RBs vs BAL recently: Audric Estime 7.9 pts (W6) · Samaje Perine 7.6 pts (W7) · James Cook III 16.1 pts (W8).

RBs vs CIN recently: Ollie Gordon II 14.8 pts (W5) · Derrick Henry 4.9 pts (W7) · Tony Pollard 25.7 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

Jacory Croskey-Merritt projects 2.2 points higher in PPR.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. faces BAL, 23rd most generous to RBs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt faces CIN, 21st most generous to RBs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is flagged OUT.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Chris Rodriguez Jr. carries the higher trade value — 253 against 122 (a 52% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Chris Rodriguez Jr. gets the most. Momentum: Chris Rodriguez Jr. +172 and Jacory Croskey-Merritt -425 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More RB decisions

Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Emmett Johnson?Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Dylan Sampson?Chris Rodriguez Jr. or TreVeyon Henderson?Jacory Croskey-Merritt or RJ Harvey?Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Kenny Gainwell?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.