Who Should I Start? LeQuint Allen Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Wednesday, July 2, 2:48 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back LeQuint Allen landed in a crowded backfield after being selected by the team in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Syracuse. The Jags also selected Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten and already have Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby on the roster. Conventional wisdom would suggest Allen will face an uphill battle to make the roster, but team reporter John Shipley said he could have an early role in the offense. "Both Tuten and Allen make sense as potential fill ins on third downs thanks both to their abilities as pass-catchers out of the backfield and the success each had pass-blocking in college," Shipley wrote. "Allen might be the most versatile receiver of the duo, which could lead to a key role early on." Most teams do not carry four running backs on gameday, so if Allen does make the roster, it could point toward the organization shipping one of the veteran ball carriers. It's still early in the offseason, and training camp will give fantasy managers a better idea of how rosters will shake up, but the buzz around Allen puts him higher on the fantasy football radar. Allen caught 119 passes in three collegiate seasons, including 64 in 2024.

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.