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Good morning.
We’re officially entering Week 1 of the NFL Preseason, with all 32 teams set to have at least one game under their belts by the end of next weekend. That sounds great in theory, but I’m ready for the real deal.
Can’t wait to sweat over which player to put in my FLEX, knowing well and good the guy I pick will get hurt and the guy I bench will put up three TDs.
As for today, we’re going to sift through some ambiguous backfields to find value. Years ago, fantasy analyst JJ Zachariason combed throw boatloads of data to prove that managers should be attacking middle-round team RB1s who have teammates who are also being drafted in the middle rounds—that’s where the majority of breakout RBs come from. So let’s get after it…
Today's newsletter highlights:
Ambiguous Backfields 🤔
Rookie Spotlight: Makai Lemon 🔦
Karabell’s Do Not Draft List ❌
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AMBIGUOUS BACKFIELDS 🤔
Betting on Bill
Jacory Croskey-Merritt // Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Washington Commanders
Jacory Croskey-Merritt was the RB10 during last year’s fantasy playoffs, topping 95 yards on two occasions and scoring four TDs over that stretch, per Yahoo’s Justin Boone. The question is how involved he’ll be in the passing game, given that he only caught nine passes all of last season and the team signed veteran Rachaad White (who has averaged over 51 receptions per season since entering the NFL in 2022). Washington also added rookie power back Kaytron Allen and pass-catching specialist Jerome Ford to the mix, but they’ll likely serve depth roles the majority of the year.
Take: Croskey-Merritt is the pick to be the breakout here, as he’s the most talented pure runner of the bunch. Reports out of camp suggest he’s flashed some pass-catching chops, as well, and the team is giving him every opportunity to be a feature three-down back, per Zain Dhanani. With Jayden Daniels healthy again, the leader of this backfield has some serious upside.
