Who Should I Start? TreVeyon Henderson or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Monday, February 16, 6:34 AM

A highly-touted second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson flashed both explosive upside and some reason for concern as a rookie. Across 17 games played, the 23-year-old recorded 1,132 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns on 215 touches, which landed him third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year vote. Henderson also got better as the year progressed, recording 683 of his 911 total rushing yards and eight of his nine rushing touchdowns after Week 8. However, a portion of Henderson's second-half production came with fellow Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined by injury. Once Stevenson returned down the stretch of the season, New England largely operated with an even playing time split between the two backs. In the playoffs, Stevenson earned 70 touches to Henderson's 35 as the Patriots opted in favor of the more consistent between-the-tackles runner. Both backs are under contract for 2026 and beyond, which means Henderson is unlikely to see a true RB1 workload in the immediate future. Still, his upside as both a rusher and receiver should allow him to maintain his dynasty value after an encouraging rookie season.

Tuesday, January 27, 6:49 PM

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a fantasy darling during draft season last fall when the team's RB picture was unsettled. His fantasy stock rose even further after Austin Ekeler suffered a season-ending injury early in the year. The 24-year-old seventh-rounder ended up leading the team in carries (175), rushing yards (805), and rushing touchdowns (eight), but he was the RB29 in half-PPR scoring, and he averaged just 8.2 half-PPR points per game in his 17 contests. It didn't help JCM's cause that starting quarterback Jayden Daniels missed most of the season with various injuries. Croskey-Merritt had two 100-yard games in his rookie season, but he also failed to eclipse 50 rushing yards in a game 12 times. The Commanders will have a new offensive coordinator in 2026, and it's hard to say how they'll attack the RB position in free agency and the draft. Croskey-Merritt will have a role next year, but there's a good chance he'll be more of a committee back than a workhorse.