Start Aaron Jones Sr. over Jacory Croskey-Merritt — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Start Jones — the availability and consensus rank edges are too wide to ignore.

Aaron Jones Sr. is the healthier side of this call (Croskey-Merritt carries a Questionable tag) and is the higher consensus play (RB34 to RB41). No signal favors Croskey-Merritt this week. The gap is wide.

Aaron Jones Sr.

RB34MINvs GB

7.58.910.3 Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

RB41WSHvs PHI

7.37.88.3 Projected Points

Sit

Why Aaron Jones Sr.

Toss-Up· medium

RB1 and veteran lead back. Balanced runner with reliable receiving chops, though workload now shared.

RB34 at 10.3 projected in a true 1a/1b with Jordan Mason — 12% target share keeps him PPR-viable, but 55% snaps cap the ceiling.

GB ranks 17 of 32 against RBs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 0-game sample).
Vegas implies 21.5 team points as 1.5-point underdogs.
Listed RB on the latest depth chart with a 55% snap share in 2025.

The call

Yahoo's depth-chart reporting frames Jones and Jordan Mason as 1a/1b co-starters, with Mason possibly getting extra early-down work — that's a hard cap on Jones' touch ceiling and the reason a 55% snap share overstates his lead-back value.
The 12% target share is the saving grace in PPR; receiving work travels regardless of who gets the goal-line carries, and a 1.5-point spread means no game script that buries him.
Matchup is dead neutral (17 of 32 DvP, and on a zero-game sample with no confidence behind it) and the 21.5 implied team total is middling — nothing here elevates him above his RB34 consensus rank.
Tip it to start if Mason is downgraded or you need the PPR floor at flex; tip it to sit if you have any every-down back or a pass-catching option with a better implied total on your bench.

Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sit

Lead back and volume runner. Decisive one-cut rusher with tackle-breaking contact balance; limited passing-game work.

Sit — RB41 consensus, projects RB42 this week: 3% target share in 2025, Questionable on the latest report.

Carries a Questionable tag — usually plays, but monitor the final report.
PHI ranks 19 of 32 against RBs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 0-game sample).
Vegas implies 20.5 team points as 5.5-point underdogs.
Listed RB on the latest depth chart with a 40% snap share in 2025.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Aaron Jones Sr.	Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Projected points	7.58.910.3	7.37.88.3
Consensus rank	RB34	RB41
Opponent vs position	GB · 17 of 320-game sample	PHI · 19 of 320-game sample
Rushing Yards	21 of 32	17 of 32
Rushing TDs	19 of 32	19 of 32
Rushing Attempts	27 of 32	23 of 32
Receptions	20 of 32	9 of 32
Receiving Yards	8 of 32	26 of 32
Anytime TD	9 of 32	20 of 32
Target share	12%(2025)	3%(2025)
Reception share	13%(2025)	3%(2025)
Implied total · spread	21.5+1.5	20.5+5.5
Depth chart	RB1	RB1
Snap share	55%(2025)	40%(2025)
Injury designation	—	Questionable
Start/Sit record	0–0+1 toss-up	—