Fantasy Football 2025: Jacory Croskey-Merritt Taking Top Billing in D.C.

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Premier National Sports:

Yesterday, I wrote about who I thought was the buzziest rookie RB in all of fantasy, TreVeyon Henderson.

But boy was I wrong because Jacory Corskey-Merritt (aka Bill) just said, “Hold my beer.”

This is all because Jordan Schultz reported that the Commanders are shopping around Brian Robinson Jr.

Whether or not this actually has a realistic chance of happening or not is almost beside the point.

The subtext is extremely clear—the Commanders love Bill (and Austin Ekeler) so much that they find BRob to be fully expendable at this point.

It’s a bombshell revelation when you consider that Bill—yes, I’m just fully embracing the nickname and don’t plan to go back—is a seventh-round rookie who didn’t play last year or even get invited to the NFL Combine.

Still, it is information worth acting on. And that’s exactly what drafters are doing. Similar to Henderson, Bill has rocketed up draft boards over the past week, and it’s about to go into hyperdrive with these trade rumors and his silky smooth TD last night:

The Commanders played last night and didn’t even suit up Robinson after both parties mutually agreed on it.

Bill indeed looked great again in his limited action last night, but it’s important not to forget about Ekeler in this equation.

Both Commanders backs are priority targets right now, and I don’t even mind the idea of pairing them together—just beware that the cost of the Bill is only going up.

CHECK OUT WHERE OUR TEAM IS RANKING BILL RIGHT NOW

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Editors’ Picks

We’ve got two preseason weeks in the books. One week closer to the real deal! Go ahead, take a peek at our Week 1 rankings to get you more excited. Then get into our Draft Champion Mock Draft Simulator, presented by Gopuff, to practice for your drafts. And once you’re done drafting for real you can sync your leagues. Now enjoy this great content.

Superflex Mock Draft

Since in superflex we double up on QBs, how about drafting from two positions? Cooterdoodle pulls double duty by drafting from the 1.03 and 1.11. The results will help you in your drafts.

The 1.11 Spot

Sitting at the 1.11 spot is an exercise in patience and strategy drafting before the turn. Chris Allen racks ‘em up and knocks ‘em down in his excellent draft spot series.

Stock Watch: Caleb Climbs

Funny what a nice drive in a preseason game does for a guy. Mark Drumheller scans all 32 NFL teams and picks out a player on each team who is rising or falling, including the Bears’ Caleb Williams.

Week 2 Utilization Takeaways: RB Battle in Jacksonville

One of the more intriguing backfield competitions for fantasy is that of the Jaguars. Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, and Bhayshul Tuten are all going to be clamoring for touches this season. Have we got an early leader in the clubhouse when it comes to utilization?

Dwain McFarland breaks down the usage for all three backs in their Week 2 preseason game, but he didn’t stop there. Dwain went through all the games and dove deep into the numbers, uncovering who played with the starters and who could be the players to target in ambiguous situations. It’s a must read with fantasy drafts fast approaching. ⬇️

ANY LIGHT SHED ON THE CHICAGO PASS CATCHERS?

Stacks, Upon Stacks, Upon Stacks

Yup, 32 of them. And Pete Overzet doesn’t just go with a QB/pass catcher combo. He aligns the signal-caller with a combination of WRs and TEs—two WRs or one of each—and ranks them from 32 (lowest) to 1 (highest). The combinations are not always the obvious top pass catchers, but include the players who have great value in ADP.

While the top one may appear to be the power trio in Cincinnati, Pete explains why it’s not. Numero uno is a group of three stars who could light up scoreboards on a weekly basis this season.

NO. 2 COULD FLY HIGH

Rankings Update: WAS RB And SF WR Moving Up

Pete isn’t the only one of our experts who is high on Jacory Croskey-Merritt. In the “Great Minds Think Alike” Dept., Ian Hartitz pointed out how the hype train is chugging along for “Bill.”

Ian doesn’t stop there, though. He took a hard look at the Miami RB situation, focusing on a player he’s been touting all offseason. Ian also may have found the new No. 1 WR in San Francisco. Check out his latest rankings after reading this update. ⬇️

A JETS RB TO TARGET

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

📺 Who is the RB1 in Houston? And more utilization updates.

👀 BRob trade destinations? Ian has you covered.

🌟 Want some value picks in Rounds 4-7?

🙏 Guess who is back at practice? THANK YOU.

🚑️ Injury updates on De’Von Achane. I wouldn’t let him slide too far in drafts.

⚖️ The Quinshon Judkins saga continues. Tricky situation for fantasy.

👌 Speaking of Browns, they named their starting QB. LET’S GO.

😉 How about a trick Trade Calculator?

🪓 The Guillotine Leagues^TM Draft Kit is ready to help chop up the competition.