Fantasy football debate: Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Austin Ekeler, landing spots for Brian Robinson Jr., more
With Brian Robinson potentially leaving Washington, the landscape has changed for Commanders RBs
By
Dave Richard
•
3 min read
It looks like we're headed for a change in Washington's backfield. Brian Robinson Jr. is on the outs after agreeing to sit out the team's second preseason game against the Bengals.
In his place, the Commanders started Chris Rodriguez Jr. but turned to seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt for their second drive. It didn't take long for him to make an impact.
This single run by Jacory (Bill) Croskey-Merritt that 80% of NFL RBs can make. has resulted in Bill getting drafted several of rounda earlier.
— Eric Polzin (NinetoFiveSports) (@925_Sports) August 19, 2025
What people missed is he played late into last night's game, and didn't play all that well.pic.twitter.com/8DIHsXAj6o
Suddenly, Croskey-Merritt has become the buzziest name in Fantasy Football.
Is he ready to be the next big thing? Is he ready to even be the next Brian Robinson?!
In early August, he was a non-factor in the team's joint practice against the Patriots, but there were whispers about his game anyway. I remember watching him warm up next to Robinson; it was clear Robinson was the bigger back, but Croskey-Merritt had just a bit more quickness in his cuts in pre-practice drills. That trait has shown up in his preseason film.
Two weeks later, Washington seems ready to move forward without Robinson, a good sign for Croskey-Merritt's future, but it's important to know the rookie isn't the only running back the Commanders have.
In fact, it might be their older, more experienced back -- Austin Ekeler -- who really wins out.
It wasn't long ago when Ekeler was a Fantasy dynamo thanks to his versatile skill set and an awesome workload as the lead back for the Chargers. A taste of those days came in 2024 when Robinson was sidelined for three games and Ekeler averaged 15.4 PPR points on 13.7 touches per game. Heck, even with Robinson for nine games, Ekeler posted 9.6 PPR points per game on just a 7.9-touch average.
It's not unreasonable to believe Ekeler will see an uptick in touches if his backfield mates consist of a seventh-round rookie with no experience and two other veterans with limited experience: Sixth-year RB Jeremy McNichols is a bruiser who finally scored multiple touchdowns in a season, four, in 2024; and the aforementioned Rodriguez has just 89 touches as he enters his third year.
What Croskey-Merritt lacks in experience, he makes up for with quickness -- though he's not a burner on the level of RBs you'll take in the early rounds, he's arguably the Commanders' most nimble running back (it's either him or Ekeler, or Deebo Samuel if we're counting him). That could fast-track the 24-year-old to some solid playing time as soon as Week 1 against the Giants, but it's unlikely to be on any down or distance that Ekeler handled well last year, including valuable third downs.
Here's every BILL Croskey-Merritt touch so far this preseason. I see solid burst and speed, good balance. Capable of getting what's blocked. pic.twitter.com/mfDpOvHc1u
— #AskFFT (@daverichard) August 19, 2025
Croskey-Merritt plays with toughness and has good balance, but he has neither the size of McNichols or Rodriguez, nor the goal-line know-how of Ekeler. Jayden Daniels reminded us on Monday how he can take short-yardage touchdowns for himself, too. Those precious carries near the end zone may escape Croskey-Merritt, who fumbled twice over 202 carries in college, including once inside the 10-yard line.
Fantasy Football is about fun, and right now, the kid nicknamed Bill (after the character on the TV show Little Bill) is all the rage. There's nothing wrong with taking a chance with him on your roster to begin the season. But if he's not going to catch a lot of passes or score a bunch of touchdowns, he's not worth reaching for.
I'll side with the veteran in all formats. Both are Round 10 types of picks in non-PPR. In PPR, Ekeler's much easier to buy into. Frankly, he's become a quality sleeper who can be had cheaply in late Round 9. That's the kind of value I love since he could be a great bench running back, or a potential starter if the games break his way. Croskey-Merritt slid into early Round 11 in the PPR format in my rankings.
What's going to happen to Brian Robinson? There are a few teams -- Houston, Miami, Dallas, and Chicago come to mind -- that could use some running back help. Some of those teams are less likely than others (Dallas is in division, Chicago's RB coach reportedly didn't get along with Robinson when in D.C.), but there's probably more of a chance Robinson finds a smaller role rather than a featured role.
He's become difficult to draft anywhere within the first dozen rounds of Fantasy drafts, but that could change at a moment's notice. You could do worse with a throwaway draft pick.
