Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Zach Charbonnet vs Jacory Croskey-Merritt
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Multiple NFL teams have been the center of depth chart debate's all season long. Two of those teams are the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders. In recent weeks, it appears that Charbonnet has been dominating touches in the Red Zone, thus making him just as valuable as Kenneth Walker III. The Commanders have lost Jayden Daniels and now they look to Marcus Mariota and Jacory Croskey-Merritt to carry the run game while Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols play sporadic roles. Both Charbonnet and Croskey-Merritt can be considered as Week 10 starters.
The Case of Zach Charbonnet
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 10 Ranking: RB27
In 2025, Charbonnet has played 7 Games where he has recorded 90 Carries (41% Rush Share), 230 Yards (2.9 Yards per Carry), and 5 Touchdowns. Charbonnet has out snapped Walker 21-to-20 in the Red Zone with (2) more Touchdowns.
An interesting metric that we find is the workload in Week 9. Walker out snapped Charbonnet 57% - to - 35%. This is notable as Charbonnet had out snapped Walker in the three previous games. Nonetheless, whatever the share is, Charbonnet is a Red Zone threat, and that is what matters most.
Zach Charbonnet scoring 2 TDs on Kenneth Walker's birthday... yeah it's overpic.twitter.com/hthCdpryJL
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) October 21, 2025
The Seahawks have ran the ball on 64% of the time in the Red Zone. Esentially, this means that Charbonnet will score 35% of the time while Walker is close to 25% of the time. In games of 3+ team touchdowns, Charbonnet is very likely to score.
The Seahawks are implied to score 25.5 Points this week, per betting odds.
Week 10 has the Seahawks playing host to the Arizona Cardinals. They are 12th in Rushing Yards Allowed per Game. They are dead in the middle as 16th in Fantasy Points Allowed to Running Backs. By all accounts, this is am moderate matchup for Charbonnet.
The Case for Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 10 Ranking: RB31
Croskey-Merritt has become, and maintained to be the RB1 in Washington. He has 94 Rushes (38% Rush Share), 440 Yards (4.7 Yards per Carry), and 4 Touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt does have only 9-of-35 team Red Zone Rushes (26%), trailing Rodriguez Jr. (34%).
One may look at this statistic and wonder if it derives from early-season inconsistency in snap shares. That is not the case. In fact, Rodriguez Jr. out snapped Croskey-Merritt 3-to-1 in Week 9 Red Zone play.
Croskey-Merritt is a player that will continue to score touchdowns, but he is not a high probability scorer. He has (4) Touchdowns on the season and will likely end up with 6-8 in total. He is not likely to score each week, but rather, possible to score.
Bill Croskey-Merritt:
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 6, 2025
Weeks 1-5:
6.6 yards per carry (1/40)
Weeks 6-9:
3.1 yards per carry (29/30)
The Commanders play host to the Detroit Lions in Week 10. The Lions are 10th in Rushing Yards Allowed per Game and 4th in Fantasy Points Allowed per Game to Running Backs. However, the Lions are 31st in Run Stop Win Rate while the Commander are 11th in Run Block Win Rate.
We can chalk these win rates to be an advantage for Washington, but we will not go so fast. The Lions rely on their second level of defenders to stop the run. Four of their six highest graded run stoppers are linebackers and Brian Branch. Croskey-Merritt may not be tackled often for a loss, but he will also lack any big runs.
The Commanders are relying on Mariota at Quarterback. They play without Terry McLaurin as well. A team that stands 4th best in Rushing Yards per Game will try to establish the run. This could provide good upside for Croskey-Merritt, but also a low floor. If Washington quickly falls behind, they will have to throw the ball. This game can go many ways for Croskey-Merritt.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs Zach Charbonnet
If you read my stuff, you know that I hate risk. The more risk, the more I will not use a player. We will only play high risk if it is counteracted by high upside. The pendulum must rock both ways.
Now, why I am saying this? Croskey-Merritt has risk this week. He could fall flat against a tough defense. The Commanders could trail and their high rate of rushing could swing 180 degrees. It is not probable, but possible that Croskey-Merritt ends up with something like 8 Carries for 17 Yards.
As for his upside, it is moderate. Croskey-Merritt could hit the endzone, but only with assumed likelihood of maybe 25-30%.
Charbonnet has great upside. His game is moderate, but he will likely see 2-3 Red Zone touches. Survery says... he will be with a good shot to score a touchdown. When dealing with players likely to rush the ball 8-12 total times, we prefer a touchdown to yards as the volume is limited.
Start Zach Charbonnet for higher upside and touchdown probability.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.