August 21, 2025

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, the team's seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has the opportunity to emerge and be an impactful player in fantasy football. Croskey-Meritt played only one game at Arizona last season due to an eligibility issue, but he was incredibly productive in 2023 at New Mexico. He had one of the best rushing seasons in school history, as his 1,190 rushing yards ranked seventh all-time and his 17 touchdowns ranked third. The underlying metrics reveal plenty of promise as well for Croskey-Merritt, as he posted an excellent 0.34 missed tackles forced per attempt and an 11.2 percent breakaway rate in that season. The seventh-rounder has a prime opportunity with Brian Robinson's tenure in Washington nearing its end, but he shares some competition. Veteran Austin Ekeler will continue to be heavily involved, and third-year back Chris Rodriguez is likely to factor into the mix for touches as well. If the team plans to keep four running backs, Jeremy McNichols is another guy who was efficient with his touches last season and stout in pass protection. However, Croskey-Merritt has the most juice and suddenness in the running back room. The team has been vocal in their intent to get more explosive plays on the ground, an area where Robinson was lacking. Croskey-Merritt has solid size at 5'10", 206 pounds to go with 4.45 speed. He posted an elite 1.50-second 10-yard split, the seventh-best in the historic running back class. Pairing that with Washington's rushing attack under Jayden Daniels, Croskey-Merritt's athletic and statistical profiles could make him a natural fit to produce right away. He's a great upside bet to make in all formats as his ADP continues to rise.--Kyle McCarthy