De'Zhaun Stribling or Jacory Croskey-Merritt: Toss-Up — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Stribling's touch upside offsets Croskey-Merritt's raw carries in PPR

Neither of these is a confident start, but the way they get to nearly identical numbers couldn't be more different. Stribling is a green boundary piece in a offense expected to score well, and while his target share is unproven, any involvement in a plus-total game gives him a shot at a spike week. Croskey-Merritt's floor comes almost entirely from early-down carries — a 40% snap share with almost no receiving work means he's capped in PPR no matter how many touches he gets, which is why he actually grades out ahead of Stribling in standard and half-PPR leagues. The Questionable tags on both make this murkier still, since either one missing practice time could swing his slice of the workload to a teammate.

What flips it: A practice-report clearance for either back while the other stays limited or downgrades.

AI editor

In standard and half-PPR scoring this flips to Croskey-Merritt.

De'Zhaun Stribling

WR50SFvs LAR

6.37.99.6 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

RB41WSHvs PHI

7.37.88.3 Projected Points

Sit

Why De'Zhaun Stribling

Toss-Up

Toss-up — WR50 consensus, projects WR47 this week: Questionable on the latest report, 9.6 PPR projected vs LAR.

A rising role in a projected shootout-adjacent script gives him more paths to a big play than a clock-control back gets.
His WR3 slot leaves boom potential if the top two receivers draw extra coverage attention.

Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sit

Rotational RB with breakaway speed. Young committee back coming off productive efficiency on a healthy carry workload.

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

Volume is real — 40% of Washington's snaps is more usage than Stribling's line implies for him.
He's the stronger source in standard and half-PPR formats, where his role converts more directly to points.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	De'Zhaun Stribling	Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Projected points	6.37.99.6	7.37.88.3
Consensus rank	WR50	RB41
Opponent vs position	LAR · 21 of 320-game sample	PHI · 19 of 320-game sample
Receptions	23 of 32	9 of 32
Receiving Yards	23 of 32	26 of 32
Receiving TDs	14 of 32	—
Targets	27 of 32	—
Anytime TD	18 of 32	20 of 32
Rushing Yards	—	17 of 32
Rushing TDs	—	19 of 32
Rushing Attempts	—	23 of 32
Target share	—	3%(2025)
Reception share	—	3%(2025)
Implied total · spread	22.8+3.0	20.5+5.5
Depth chart	WR3	RB1
Snap share	—	40%(2025)
Injury designation	Q	Q