Ahead of the final weekend before the regular season gets underway, endless fantasy football leagues are gearing up for their respective drafts. Users are constantly trying to find hidden gems to get their team over the hump, and one member of the Washington Commanders has become an interesting name to watch.
Despite still trying to work things out with wide receiver Terry McLaurin, the Commanders’ front office has been active in the trade market. In the span of a few days, Washington made running back Brian Robinson Jr. available in discussions and worked out a deal to send him to the San Francisco 49ers.
With Robinson Jr. passing his physical, the trade became official over the weekend. This made the Commanders’ running back corps slightly less crowded and resulted in one player’s stock drastically increasing.
Also read: Commanders Receive Fair Grade for Brian Robinson Trade
Commanders RB among latest fantasy football draft risers
After being drafted in the seventh round by the Commanders, running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt became a bit of a fan favorite during the preseason. He put together a strong outing overall, leading many to believe he could be a valuable contributor for Washington in year one.
In this final stretch before the 2025 season gets underway, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put together a list of players who are quickly rising up fantasy draft boards. With Robinson Jr. out of the picture now, Croskey-Merritt is among those who have seen a significant bump when it comes to average draft position.
“The hype with Croskey-Merritt may be a tad out of hand,” Davenport wrote. “Veteran Austin Ekeler will handle a chunk of the passing-down work in Washington, and Chris Rodriguez could see some early-down action. Croskey-Merritt is more likely to lead a committee than be a three-down workhorse. But the fantasy community has a raging case of Bill Fever. And at this point, it wouldn’t be even a little surprising to see him come off the board as early as Round 6 or so.”
Also read: Washington Commanders RB Emerging as Fantasy Football Sleeper
Croskey-Merritt finished the preseason with 70 rushing yards and one touchdown while averaging almost four yards per carry. He also displayed great ball security, not recording a single fumble across his three appearances.
Seeing that the Commanders still have multiple viable running backs on the roster, Croskey-Merritt won’t be a featured back in Washington. That said, given the way he’s turned heads in recent weeks, he could be worth taking a flier on as a late-round stash.
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