Croskey-Merritt's impressive summer contributed to Washington's decision to trade Brian Robinson to the 49ers on Friday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

A trade was rumored all week, with Robinson even held out of Monday's preseason loss to Cincinnati. RB Chris Rodriguez started that game and had a 40-yard run on the second snap, before Croskey-Merritt stepped up on the second drive with a 27-yard TD. Those two are the favorites to replace Robinson when a power runner is needed, but Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols are also candidates to take over some of the snaps Robinson handled last year. It'll be one of the key backfields to monitor Week 1, with no guarantee that Croskey-Merritt's rising ADP leads to a fantasy-friendly role in the opener. The usage in September won't necessarily be the same as that later in the season, of course, and positive reports on Croskey-Merritt throughout the summer suggest he has a shot to emerge as the lead runner.

New England waived Bernard on Friday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Bernard initially inked with the Titans after going undrafted out of Utah this offseason, and though he found a new opportunity with the Patriots early August, he won't make the team's initial 53-man roster. The rookie running back will work to find an opportunity on a practice squad this season.

Guerendo may open the season as San Francisco's No. 2 running back even though the team is trading for Brian Robinson, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 49ers presumably wouldn't trade for Robinson, even at the cost of just a sixth-round pick, unless they thought he could become their No. 2 running back. That doesn't mean he'll simply be handed the gig, however, nor does it mean he'll be comfortable with the playbook in time for Week 1 at Seattle. Still, the trade takes a chunk out of Guerendo's fantasy value, adding another legitimate competitor for backup roles after the Niners drafted Jordan James (finger) in the fifth round this spring. Guerendo is the fastest and most athletic of the bunch, but his injury history dating back to college is concerning, to say the least.

The Commanders are trading Robinson to the 49ers, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Christian McCaffrey has remained healthy all summer, but nearly all of the 49ers' other running backs have missed time with injuries, including Isaac Guerendo (shoulder). Guerendo did return to practice earlier this week, but there's now risk he drops down the depth chart with San Francisco trading for Robinson, who has 40 starts and 22 TDs to his name in the NFL (including playoffs). The Commanders, meanwhile, are left with Austin Ekeler, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols in the backfield. Washington reportedly will receive a sixth-round pick and eat some of Robinson's $3.4 million base salary, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

New England waived Watts on Friday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Watts is among the first of what will be a slew of roster cuts for the Patriots, as next week's deadline to cut down to 53 players looms. The undrafted rookie out of Fort Hays State will work to secure work on a practice squad this season, whether with New England or elsewhere in the league.

Stevenson (undisclosed) didn't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Giants.

Stevenson, who has been managing an unspecified injury that isn't viewed as significant, sported a non-contact jersey in his return to practice this week, per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, but there's nothing to suggests that his Week 1 status is in any danger. Added clarity in that regard will arrive no later than the Patriots' first official injury/practice report, but as the coming season approaches Stevenson is set to reprise his key role in a backfield that also includes dynamic 2025 second-rounder TreVeyon Henderson, along with fellow returnee Antonio Gibson. Though Henderson remains the upside play from a fantasy standpoint and figures to cut into Stevenson's volume this season, there should be enough touches, in an offense that could lean toward the run, for both players to carry weekly fantasy lineup utility.

The Commanders likely will trade or release Brian Robinson, leaving Ekeler to split backfield work with some combination of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the New York Times.

The decision to move on from Robinson hints at confidence in Washington's backfield alternatives, although Robinson's non-guaranteed $3.4 million salary is also a factor. It remains to be seen if Ekeler will capture some of the work that went to Robinson last season, as there's been talk of Croskey-Merritt potentially getting a lot of carries and Rodriguez taking short-yardage work. Ekeler averaged 4.8 yards on 77 carries and 10.5 yards on 35 catches in the regular season last year, but he missed five games with injuries and fumbled three times (later fumbling a fourth time during the NFC Championship Game).

Giddens is on track for the No. 2 running back role, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder.

Giddens worked ahead of Tyler Goodson in the Colts' second preseason game, even taking a handful of first-team snaps, while Goodson only played with the backups (and then left early due to a shoulder injury). Khalil Herbert (undisclosed) was already unavailable, and Giddens then furthered his case for the backup role by taking six carries for 28 yards. It's still possible the Colts defer to experience and enter Week 1 with Goodson as their No. 2 RB, but Giddens should have a chance to move up soon enough even if he starts off third in the pecking order. That said, there's no real hope for Year 1 fantasy value without workhorse Jonathan Taylor missing time.

Harris (eye) has ramped up his workload of late, with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh recently saying that the running back feels better with each passing day, Eric Smith of chargers.com reports.

Harris remains on the non-football injury list, limited to individual/rehab work and still not ready to practice with teammates. That's an obvious concern for his Week 1 availability with the start of the season less than three weeks away, but it does at least seem like the Chargers expect him to contribute at some point this season. Harris suffered a fireworks accident earlier this summer, keeping him out for all of training camp and leaving rookie Omarion Hampton without serious competition for first-team work this summer. Harris will be ineligible for Weeks 1-4 if the Chargers don't activate him from the NFI list by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Thursday that Rodriguez could be the team's goal-line back, although Quinn also commented that the team won't necessarily have traditional backfield roles, Commanders writer Ben Standig reports.

With Brian Robinson reportedly on the trade block and perhaps even at risk of being released, there's been a lot of recent discussion about what Washington's backfield might look like. Austin Ekeler is the safest bet for snaps and touches, but he's unlikely to handle a huge workload, leaving paths for Rodriguez, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and/or Jeremy McNichols to get involved. Most of the fantasy discussion has centered on Croskey-Merritt this summer, but Rodriguez got the start alongside QB Jayden Daniels in Washington's second preseason game and promptly broke off a 40-yard run on the opening drive. Croskey-Merritt then came on for the second series, while Ekeler was held out and McNichols played later on. A three-way committee between Ekeler, Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt is the most likely outcome for Week 1 against the Giants, regardless of various judgements and opinions on how things might play out from there. Rodriguez is worthy of a fantasy bench spot in most leagues while we wait to see just how things play out in Washington's backfield.