Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Monday, October 20, 11:44 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco is a strong streaming option ahead of Week 8 with six NFL teams on bye. This coming weekend will feature 2025's largest bye week, with quite a few high-powered offenses taking a game off. While Flacco projects to be a nice fill-in for the diminished slate, he's been excellent either way, posting 561 yards and a 5:0 TD:INT ratio since being traded to the Bengals. Moreover, he's slated for two juicy matchups ahead of the team's Week 10 bye in the New York Jets and Chicago Bears. If he can keep up his recent string of performances, it isn't out of the question that the 40-year-old can become a consistent fantasy starter. For all the flak he's taken over the years, Flacco has performed well when given the weapons to succeed.

Friday, October 17, 8:48 PM

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt had his worst performance of the season in Week 6 against the Bears, handling 17 carries for 61 yards with one reception for seven yards and losing a fumble for the second consecutive game. It's concerning to see him put the ball on the ground this frequently, but the coaching staff showed faith in him and went right back to him. On a positive note, the rookie seventh-rounder posted his highest snap share of the season at 66.7%. Croskey-Merritt should again handle the bulk of the touches in Week 7 against a Dallas defense that just allowed Rico Dowdle to rack up 239 total yards. They are allowing the fourth-most PPR points per game to opposing running backs, which sets up Croskey-Merritt for a nice bounce-back game. He is a must-start in Week 7.