Who Should I Start? Drake Maye or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sunday, October 26, 5:58 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 282 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns. He also took six sacks and rushed for 50 yards. The former No. 3 pick continues to dominate during his breakout campaign, as he now has 17 total touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2025. He is also completing passes at an elite rate, maintaining a completion percentage north of 75 percent. All the while, he has looked like one of the NFL's better rushing quarterbacks and has led the Patriots to an AFC East-leading 6-2 start. Maye's six sacks and one interception on Sunday weren't ideal, but he made up for it with his completion rate, yardage, touchdowns, and the win. The 23-year-old remains a mid-range fantasy QB1 heading into a clash with the Falcons, who just surrendered four passing touchdowns to Tua Tagovailoa.

Saturday, October 25, 7:26 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt broke out for 150 total yards and two touchdowns in Week 5 against the Chargers, but he has disappointed in the past two weeks despite favorable matchups. Croskey-Merritt is still the clear No. 1 back in Washington, posting his three highest rushing attempt and route participation rates of the season over the past three weeks. The seventh-round rookie has still been one of the most efficient runners in the league despite the two-week lull, posting the third-highest success rate (60.3%) and eighth-highest explosive rush rate (6.8%) among running backs with at least 50 carries. He's not as involved in the passing game, which lowers his ceiling a tad, but he is still capable of delivering a big fantasy performance. He'll face a Kansas City Chiefs defense that hasn't been great on a down-to-down basis, ranking 22nd in rush success rate (42.6%). Croskey-Merritt ranks as RotoBaller's RB23 in PPR leagues for Week 8.