Commanders put Jacory Croskey-Merritt on IR with a groin injury

The Washington Commanders placed running back Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve Monday, Oct. 19, with the groin injury that already had him set to miss Monday night's game at San Francisco. The team announced it a few hours before kickoff, and Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport posted the same move.

What is confirmed

Croskey-Merritt will miss at least four games, the minimum for any player placed on IR. Washington also put outside linebacker Javontae Jean-Baptiste on IR.

In the same set of moves, the Commanders activated running back Jeremy McNichols, cornerback Trey Amos and linebacker Jordan Magee from injured reserve and cleared all three for tonight. Schefter added that receiver Stefon Diggs, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, is trending toward playing against the 49ers.

The groin problem has followed Croskey-Merritt since training camp. He played through it the previous Sunday against the Giants and ran 11 times for 82 yards and a touchdown, then missed every practice last week.

What is still open

The team has not given a timeline beyond the four-game minimum. An injury that has lingered since camp could take longer than the minimum, so the return date matters more than the IR label itself. Diggs is not confirmed active until Washington's inactives come out about 90 minutes before kickoff.

What RSO owners should do now

Move Croskey-Merritt to your IR slot and plan around him for at least the next four games. Do not cut him. He was producing on a 36 percent snap share before this, and his contract value holds if he comes back healthy in the second half.

Rachaad White is the first pivot and should lead the backfield tonight if his shoulder holds up. Austin Ekeler has been playing through a chest injury and is the pass-down option. McNichols coming off IR gives Washington a third back and is worth a look in deep leagues as a handcuff, though he is not a lineup play yet.

Diggs owners should keep him in the lineup for Monday night unless he shows up on the inactive list.

What to watch next

Watch the inactives for Diggs, then how Washington splits carries between White, Ekeler and McNichols at San Francisco. For Croskey-Merritt, the next real update is when Washington opens his practice window, which cannot happen before he has missed four games.