Who Should I Start? Dare Ogunbowale or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Wednesday, March 5, 11:27 AM

The Houston Texans re-signed running back Dare Ogunbowale to a one-year, $2 million deal, according to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero. The 30-year-old has spent the last three seasons with Houston as a backup and primary special teamer following two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Overall, Ogunbowale has rushed 166 times for 569 yards and four touchdowns in 95 games across four organizations. Fantasy managers should not expect Ogunbowale to be on the fantasy radar in 2025 barring a slew of injuries to Houston's running back room.

Tuesday, May 27, 3:06 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a potential sleeper to watch during the team's offseason activities, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. "A back-end roster player who could garner significant attention in the offseason: Jacory Croskey-Merritt," Standig wrote. "The 5-foot-11, 208-pounder has the goods to get there despite sitting out nearly the entire 2024 college season with eligibility issues. If Kingsbury falls for this competitive runner's one-cut burst, there could be a running back room shake-up." The seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft spent the first four seasons of his collegiate career at Alabama State before a breakout season at New Mexico, where he rushed 189 times for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 2024 at Arizona, he rushed 13 times for 106 yards and one score in one game appearance. While Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler remain penciled in as the RB1 and RB2 for Washington, it sounds like Croskey-Merritt is a name worth monitoring later in the offseason. If he makes the roster, he could be worth stashing in deeper redraft and dynasty leagues. Last season, third-string running back Jeremy McNichols popped up on the fantasy radar, so anything is possible.