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Who should I start for Week 1? Fantasy football outlooks for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Bhayshul Tuten, Cam Skattebo. Our expert fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks.
Three intriguing rookie running backs, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Bhayshul Tuten, and Cam Skattebo, are generating significant buzz in fantasy football drafts, and for different reasons.
Of the three, Croskey-Merritt is the only clear starter following the trade of Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco. Tuten and Skattebo are talented players with no true RB1 ahead of them on the depth chart, so they, too, could be starters by season's end.
Let's break down their matchups and opportunities to help you decide if any of these rookies are startable in Week 1.
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Should I Start Jacory Croskey-Merritt for Week 1?
Despite being only a seventh-round pick, it's clear that the Commanders trust Croskey-Merritt. He's impressed in the preseason, and the trade of Robinson Jr. means that he has very little competition for carries in the Washington backfield.
While Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and Jeremy McNichols are still on the roster, they are not true RB1s at this point in their careers. And clearly, the Commanders believe that Croskey-Merritt can be that kind of player.
Bill Croskey-Merritt has vision that you simply can't teach pic.twitter.com/TKTDpVaEg6
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 19, 2025
The Commanders host the Giants in Week 1, which is a great matchup for Croskey-Merritt. The Giants were a bottom-10 run defense last year in terms of yards and yards per carry. Smash the start button on Croskey-Merritt and don't look back.
Should I Start Bhayshul Tuten for Fantasy Football Week 1?
The Jaguars selected Tuten with one of the first picks in the fourth round, suggesting that they weren't happy with an RB tandem of Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby. With Tuten in the mix, this backfield becomes a three-headed monster that should be avoided in fantasy football.
Travis Etienne | Tank Bigsby | Bhayshul Tuten: Who is going to be the RB that gets the bulk of touches? I still believe it will be ETN. All three produced well on Sunday:
ETN: 4 touches | 32 yds
Bigsby: 3 touches | 25 yds
Tuten: 11 touches | 41 yds | 1 TD pic.twitter.com/n29XLpEbed— Joshua Cho (@jbchoknows) August 18, 2025
With Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter at receiver, the Jags' best bet to score points is to throw the ball. And with a leaky defense, Jacksonville will probably have to do that anyway.
While the Jaguars host the Panthers in Week 1, a team that had the league's worst run defense last season, don't be tempted. Tuten would be lucky to get 10 touches in his first career game.
Should I Start Cam Skattebo for Fantasy Football Week 1?
To put it simply, Skattebo was a monster in his final year at Arizona State. The physical running back ran for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns, helping Arizona State secure a top seed in the College Football Playoff.
babe wake up Cam Skattebo just broke five tackles on a 47-yard rush 😤#Big12FB | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/HA759U7gpK
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 7, 2024
Unfortunately, landing with the Giants means that Skattebo won't get the chance to start right away. Although Skattebo has recovered from the hamstring injury that hampered him early in the preseason, he's still behind Tyrone Tracy Jr. on the depth chart.
In Week 1, the Giants face the Commanders on the road. It's a game in which the G-Men will likely trail from start to finish, meaning that they will have to pass. Don't bother starting Skattebo until he's a clear part of New York's game plan.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Bhayshul Tuten, Cam Skattebo. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 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 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific players - Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Bhayshul Tuten, Cam Skattebo. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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, 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 that 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 circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (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 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Bhayshul Tuten, Cam Skattebo compared to others:
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