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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2025? Fantasy football outlooks for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Braelon Allen, Woody Marks and our expert draft advice.
Finding a league-winning running back in the final rounds of your draft can put your fantasy team at a significant advantage. Any managers who took a chance on Chase Brown and Bucky Irving late in the 2024 draft will likely secure a league-winner.
In this piece, we will take a look at two rookie running backs who have made headlines in the preseason and a second-year option poised for a breakout campaign.
Be sure to check our fantasy football rankings that will help you crush your leagues in 2025. Which running backs should fantasy managers target? Let's dive in!
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
RotoBaller PPR Rank: RB 37, Overall 127
NFFC ADP: RB 61, Overall 211.8
Despite receiving several top-30 predraft visits from NFL teams, Croskey-Merritt fell to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Eligibility issues limited him to just one game this past season. However, he is a highly talented player who snuck under the radar.
The #Commanders are getting a tremendous value in the explosive, creative, & unpredictable RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (@JacoryMerritt15)!
Crosky-Merritt displays nimble footwork, strong leg drive to finish, & breakaway speed!#NFLDraft #RaiseHail @raj_manjrekar pic.twitter.com/f8tyRXojqX
— Noah K.M. Chang (@NoahKMChang) April 26, 2025
Croskey-Merritt has reportedly turned multiple heads at the Commanders’ camp so far this summer. There is an explosive element to his game that Washington’s backfield sorely lacks. While Croskey-Merritt still has some work ahead of him, a recent report stated that he has been receiving reps with the first-team offense.
According to multiple reports, Jacory Croskey Merritt got first team reps today and looked solid 🔥#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/1Jj3dLNaTI
— SleeperCommanders (@SleeperWSH) July 29, 2025
The only players standing in Croskey-Merritt’s way of playing time are Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez Jr. Ekeler is a former fantasy football stud, but injuries have slowed him down in recent years, and Rodriguez is likely only to be deployed in short-yardage situations. That is where Croskey-Merritt has a chance to make a difference in this offense.
Earlier this week, the Commanders traded presumed starter Brian Robinson Jr., further suggesting that Croskey-Merritt should have an essential role in the backfield.
Croskey-Merritt is available for free and has gone undrafted in the majority of Yahoo drafts so far this summer. There’s a very realistic scenario where he climbs the team’s depth chart this summer and eventually carves out a role in the offense. If he does, he could become a viable flex play with upside for more thanks to his big-play ability.
Gamers can feel confident taking a flyer on Croskey-Merritt with one of their last picks. If you’d rather sit and watch from afar once the season begins, that’s fine too. Just keep in mind that if Croskey-Merritt does pop during the season, you’ll have considerably more competition to acquire him on waivers than you currently do in fantasy drafts.
His stock has begun to rise over the past week, but he is still quite affordable in redraft formats.
- Written by Dave Ventresca
Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets
RotoBaller PPR Rank: RB 40, Overall 132
NFFC ADP: RB 50, Overall 166.3
The fantasy football community is falling in love with Braelon Allen, and the opportunity to get him on the cheap may not last much longer. Allen has Jets fans and fantasy managers buzzing with this preseason. His combination of size and speed is even drawing comparisons to the likes of Derrick Henry.
Braelon Allen ADP outside the top 50 RBs seems foolish.
This is Derrick Henry type of stuff right here.. size & explosiveness 🧨
pic.twitter.com/EUyTaH7Zih— LaQuan Jones (@RealDealFantasy) August 10, 2025
Allen had a storied career in Wisconsin before being drafted by the Jets last season. He got some work (111 touches) behind Breece Hall, but managed just 3.6 yards per carry in his rookie season. However, the Jets' offense struggled badly to run the football successfully and was largely underwhelming for most of the season.
With Justin Fields under center and an improved offensive line, New York may have a formidable run game in 2025. The Jets' staff has already mentioned using Hall more as a receiver this season, and Allen's physical running style could earn him plenty of early-down work.
He's a popular breakout pick for this season, but it's easy to see why. Allen is a physical specimen who runs over and around defenders. There's simply no reason he shouldn't be going much earlier in drafts, even with his ADP on the rise.
- Written by Dan Palyo
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
RotoBaller PPR Rank: RB 60, Overall 193
NFFC ADP: RB 67, Overall 233.5
Houston, we have a problem, and it's the current state of the Texans' backfield as Nick Chubb is returning to action after missing time due to injury the last couple of seasons. Joe Mixon, who also finds himself in the infirmary, is dealing with a foot issue.
If either Chubb or Mixon were to miss time, Woody Marks would become one of the hottest names in fantasy football. In their absence, Marks is getting plenty of touches and reps with the first team and has been giving off those Bucky Irving-type vibes.
The running back formerly known as Jo'quavious has immense upside in PPR formats. During his time at USC and Mississippi, Marks would produce 1,546 receiving yards on 261 receptions over 57 contests.
I'm no mathematician, but that works out to 4.57 receptions and 5.9 yards per reception over that period. While the pass-catching offers upside, Marks also averaged 5.0 yards per rushing attempt over a college career that saw him carry the rock on 608 occasions.
Woody Marks is potentially a PERFECT fit in HOU given his ability to run outside zone, but there is one area of his game that could prevent him from getting on the field…. 5️⃣ NEW PROFILES on @RecepPerception dropped today https://t.co/NbxyWPKiNk pic.twitter.com/b5p1njqVLe
— James D Koh (@JamesDKoh) July 30, 2025
- Written by Matt Donnelly
Who Should I Draft Tool
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Who Should I Draft? Some common 2025 fantasy football draft decisions are regarding players like Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Braelon Allen, and Woody Marks. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Draft your optimal fantasy football teams for 2025. Our free Who Should I Draft? tool will help make your fantasy football draft decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to draft... all free! Make the right decisions.
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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Braelon Allen, and Woody Marks. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football drafts.
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 Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. 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.
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 circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
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