How Jacory Croskey-Merritt Earned RB2 Fantasy Potential for 2026

While the Washington Commanders are preparing for the NFL Draft, fantasy sports players are preparing for drafts of their own.

Football has become a year-round sport, and those who aim to be the best-of-the-best don’t take an offseason just because the Commanders aren’t playing.

Instead, they look back at how players performed last season and ahead at what certain players entering the league might mean. If the right player lands with Washington, for example, they’ll climb the draft boards. If he lands with the wrong team, however, he’ll slide.

Pro Football Focus knows fantasy champions are already busy setting up their draft boards for 2026, and came through with a look at the Commanders’ 2025 rookie class and how it impacted that area of the game last season.

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane (83) runs the ball for a punt return touchdown during the second quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

A crowded receiver room

Two skill position players drafted by Washington had fantasy influence in 2025: receiver Jaylin Lane and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

“With Terry McLaurin (87.0 PFF receiving grade), Deebo Samuel (70.3 receiving grade) and Zach Ertz (63.3 receiving grade) already on the roster, the chances of Lane (59.7 receiving grade) breaking into the receiving room and making a sizable impact were slim in 2025,” PFF notes.

“He logged just 16 catches for 225 yards and no touchdowns, culminating in a WR121 finish and just 39.2 fantasy points. His production was almost certainly not helped by the rotation of Jayden Daniels (73.8 PFF passing grade), Marcus Mariota (72.3 PFF passing grade) and Josh Johnson (55.4 PFF passing grade) at quarterback, but the same could be said of the entire Washington offense.”

While that may sound like Lane had a down year, given that most expected him to provide special teams benefits without anticipating much on offense as a rookie, he actually did fairly well.

Still, if you’re considering replacing him on your dynasty roster, we can’t really blame you, as the Commanders are not only expected to bring in more receiver competition this offseason, but may even be shifting to a scheme that doesn’t feature Lane’s style of play.

The rise of a late-round steal

Meanwhile, “Croskey-Merritt (75.4 PFF rushing grade), a seventh-rounder, led the team in rushes (175), rushing yards (805) and rushing touchdowns (eight).

“Through the first four weeks of the season, Croskey-Merritt was the NFL's highest-graded qualifying rusher with an elite 90.6 mark — clear of James Cook’s excellent 82.5 PFF grade. A late-round dart throw in a lot of leagues and a waiver-wire pick-up in others, Croskey-Merritt was supposed to take us all to the championship,” says PFF.

“Then the wheels came off a bit. After racking up 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers, the rookie rusher went on to top 50 yards on the ground just once until Week 15, when he logged 96 against the Giants. He finished strong in the fantasy championship game for many in Week 17, with 105 yards and two scores on the ground against a porous Cowboys defense.”

The Commanders' offense battled a serious identity crisis in 2025, and even though all of us watching could tell the unit needed to be a run-first outfit, we watched as time and time again the operation shifted quickly to a pass-heavy approach.

Even when Washington did run, frustrating usage of its backs in appropriate scenarios snuffed out any confidence in the room before it really had a chance to build any.

Dec 25, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) carries the ball for a touchdown defended by Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (92) in the third quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Finding fantasy value in 2026

With new offensive coordinator David Blough, things are expected to be different, and if they change for the better, Croskey-Merritt may be a benefactor you can sneak onto your roster late in your redraft leagues. Because the potential is certainly there.

“The Washington back still ended the season averaging 4.6 yards per attempt, 13th in the NFL among qualified backs, and his 3.50 yards after contact per attempt ranked sixth,” PFF concluded.

“He has certainly done enough to earn the first crack at the starting job in 2026, and it helps that the Commanders are paying him peanuts, so his RB31 mark in 2025 (144.3 points) could easily go into the 20s and see him as a viable RB2 — especially if Daniels is healthy for a full season.”