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Should I start Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Travis Etienne Jr. for Week 7? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Week 7 of the NFL season is here, and we are right in the thick of it. With bye weeks and injuries shaking up lineups, making the right start/sit decisions at running back is paramount.
In this article, we will see if RBs Travis Etienne Jr., Rachaad White, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt should be started in fantasy for Week 7. All three RBs should handle the bulk of the touches in their respective backfield on Sunday.
So, should fantasy managers start Etienne, White, and Croskey-Merritt in Week 7? Let's dive in.
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Should I Start Travis Etienne Jr. for Fantasy Football?
Etienne has enjoyed a bounce-back season so far through six games, ranking fourth in the league in yards per carry (5.3). He's operated as the clear lead back for Jacksonville under new head coach Liam Coen. The 26-year-old is coming off his least productive game of the season against the Seahawks, where he totaled just 55 total yards on 16 touches (12 carries, four receptions).
He's played at least 60% of snaps in every game except Week 3 against Houston, when he was at 54.5%. Neither rookie RB, Bhayshul Tuten nor LeQuint Allen, has earned more than a 30% snap share in any game behind Etienne. And Tuten looked like he was carving out a meaningful role in Week 2 after earning 10 touches, but he hasn't seen more than six since then.
So Etienne should continue to have a healthy workload against the Rams in London.
TRAVIS ETIENNE 48-YARD HOUSE CALL
JAXvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/rw18T7TMD8
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
The Rams have been one of the better defenses in football against opposing RBs. They've allowed the third fewest PPR points per game (12) and own the seventh best rushing success rate (37.4%). But the usage has been strong for Etienne, and he's still a quality start this week as an RB2.
Should I Start Rachaad White for Fantasy Football?
White has stepped in for the injured Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) and produced like an RB1 in fantasy. Since Week 5, White's 40.7 PPR points are the seventh most among RBs, and his 20.4 expected points per game is the 10th most, per PFF.
Irving is expected to miss his third straight game, setting up White for another big workload in Week 7 at Detroit. Detroit has had excellent run defenses over the past few seasons, but has regressed a bit so far this season.
They're still good down-to-down, ranking 12th in rushing success rate (38.5%) and fifth-best PFF team grade for run defense, but aren't making as many plays in the backfield, ranking 19th in Stuff% (16.1%).
Success Rates for RBs split by run location
(weeks 1-6)1) Rachaad White: 55.6%
2) Bill Croskey-Merritt: 55.0%
3) Rico Dowdle: 51.9%36) Bucky Irving: 26.8% pic.twitter.com/MKlThweMwP
— Doug Analytics (@Doug_Analytics) October 15, 2025
But this should also be a high-scoring game with two of the league's best offenses. It has the second-highest total of the week (52.5), putting White as a must-start in Week 7.
Should I Start Jacory Croskey-Merritt for Fantasy Football?
Croskey-Merritt was set up with a dream matchup against Chicago in Week 6, but ultimately had his worst game as a pro. He had 17 carries for 61 yards (3.6 YPC) and added a catch for seven yards, but also lost his second fumble in two weeks. The rookie has had ball security issues recently, but it's encouraging to see the coaching staff show faith in him and keep him on the field.
Week 6 was the highest snap share of the season for the seventh rounder at 66.7%. It was also easily his highest route share at 40%. Veteran Jeremy McNichols continues to be used mostly on pass downs, while third-year back Chris Rodriguez Jr. has played sparingly over the last two weeks.
It’s worth noting that Rodriguez didn’t practice at all last week and played just one snap against the Bears, but he’s now off the injury report. Still, it was clearly Croskey-Merritt’s backfield in Week 5. All five of Rodriguez’s carries came in the fourth quarter of a game Washington won by 17, and he logged only four snaps through the first three quarters.
Bill Croskey-Merritt keeps getting yards
WASvsLAC on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/j0gXwwNO6n
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
Croskey-Merritt gets a chance to redeem himself with another cupcake matchup against the Cowboys, whose run defense has been pathetic. PFF has them with a 36.1 team run defense grade, which is last by a wide margin. The next closest team is the Ravens at 51.2.
The difference between the Cowboys and Ravens is about the same as the gap between the Ravens and the Patriots, who rank 18th. Croskey-Merritt should be fired up as a high-upside RB2.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Travis Etienne Jr., Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 7 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Travis Etienne Jr., Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 7.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 7 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 7 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 7 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 7 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Travis Etienne Jr., Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt compared to others:
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