This Position Battles entry will look at competitions between the Washington running backs, San Francisco running backs, New Orleans quarterbacks, Denver wide receivers, Miami running backs and Tennessee running backs.
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Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Austin Ekeler vs. Chris Rodriguez, RB, WAS
With the trade of Brian Robinson to San Francisco the path has formally opened for a new lead runner among the Washington running backs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt might be the favorite for that role after he was held out of the preseason finale, a game where Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols both suited up, though either way Austin Ekeler appears locked in as a pass-catching specialist and secondary runner.
Jayden Daniels projects for a greater share of rushing production than most quarterbacks, so if Ekeler has a guaranteed role for upwards of 500 snaps then it leaves a potentially small pie for Croskey-Merritt, Rodriguez and McNichols to fight over. Robinson played 487 snaps in 2024.
Croskey-Merritt (5-10, 206) is a seventh-round pick who played one game at Arizona, 12 at New Mexico and 37 at Alabama State. Croskey-Merritt runs with a hot motor and has some explosiveness to work with, two traits that showed up in his New Mexico production (6.3 YPC, 9.0-percent touchdown rate) but not at Alabama State (3.5 YPC, 3.7-percent touchdown rate).
Croskey-Merritt has very good open-field running instincts and
This Position Battles entry will look at competitions between the Washington running backs, San Francisco running backs, New Orleans quarterbacks, Denver wide receivers, Miami running backs and Tennessee running backs.
Check out the industry-leading fantasy football live draft assistant to get custom rankings for your league and follow along with a live draft on most major platforms!
Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Austin Ekeler vs. Chris Rodriguez, RB, WAS
With the trade of Brian Robinson to San Francisco the path has formally opened for a new lead runner among the Washington running backs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt might be the favorite for that role after he was held out of the preseason finale, a game where Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols both suited up, though either way Austin Ekeler appears locked in as a pass-catching specialist and secondary runner.
Jayden Daniels projects for a greater share of rushing production than most quarterbacks, so if Ekeler has a guaranteed role for upwards of 500 snaps then it leaves a potentially small pie for Croskey-Merritt, Rodriguez and McNichols to fight over. Robinson played 487 snaps in 2024.
Croskey-Merritt (5-10, 206) is a seventh-round pick who played one game at Arizona, 12 at New Mexico and 37 at Alabama State. Croskey-Merritt runs with a hot motor and has some explosiveness to work with, two traits that showed up in his New Mexico production (6.3 YPC, 9.0-percent touchdown rate) but not at Alabama State (3.5 YPC, 3.7-percent touchdown rate).
Croskey-Merritt has very good open-field running instincts and his explosiveness is clear enough, so for his production to lag so badly at Alabama State likely indicates some at least situational hitch in his game, and likely to do with his running in traffic or/and between the tackles.
Rodriguez (5-11, 224) offers a clear power element that Croskey-Merritt lacks, and Rodriguez's 4.52-second pro day 40 indicates relatively equal speed to Croskey-Merritt (4.47 pro day 40). Rodriguez has no hitches in his game as a runner, even if slightly less explosive than JCM. Rodriguez has excellent vision otherwise, both behind the offensive line and into the open field.
If Croskey-Merritt has the favor of the coaching staff then that bodes well for his interests, but the simple fact is Rodriguez has always automatically produced and JCM had something like six good games in six years at the collegiate level. If Rodriguez gets any work at all – and Dan Quinn specifically mentioned Rodriguez as a short-yardage and goal-line back – then it's a potential problem for JCM, because Rodriguez has only succeeded when given opportunity.
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Brian Robinson over Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF
It's a shame, but Isaac Guerendo just cannot stay healthy and the issue is major enough that Kyle Shanahan has all but categorically abandoned the idea of Guerendo ever ranking higher than third on the San Francisco 49ers depth chart. While no one can match Guerendo's athleticism and he even offers standout skill as a running back, his availability for any given game or drive simply can't be counted on.
Brian Robinson is largely the opposite of Guerendo – plodding, void of big-play ability, constantly stuck in molasses – but Robinson is durable and has always been consistent. Robinson can't raise the level of an offense, but he won't derail it either.
If Christian McCaffrey were to miss any time then it's possible that Shanahan would turn to Guerendo out of desperation for big plays, so Guerendo is arguably still worth rostering as the RB3 just as he was in 2024, but generally it appears that Robinson is locked in as the RB2 while Guerendo waits in shrinkwrap.
Spencer Rattler over Tyler Shough, QB, NO
The Saints finally named Spencer Rattler their Week 1 starter, making even clearer what was generally obvious at the time of New Orleans' 40th overall selection: Tyler Shough was a bad draft pick.
Rattler likely isn't good, but he's actually a year younger than Shough, who turns 26 in September. The Rookie Excuse doesn't apply to 26-year-old rookies – Shough is raw despite no lack of experience, meaning he likely cannot be refined.
Just the same, Rattler will likely struggle and the Saints arguably have the worst roster in the NFL. Starting Week 1 for this team assures little or nothing for Week 2, let alone the full course of the year. Rattler and Shough will likely both log (bad) starts in 2025, and the Saints will pray that they have the chance to draft a worthwhile first-round quarterback with their high (first overall?) pick in the 2026 draft.
Pat Bryant vs. Troy Franklin, WR, DEN
Evan Engram figures to play many if not most of Denver's slot receiver snaps this year, but the trade of Devaughn Vele still opened up a new range of possibilities for Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin as they battle for the third wide receiver spot on the Broncos depth chart.
Marvin Mims (finally) and Courtland Sutton appear locked in as the two primary boundary wideouts, so while that third spot in the boundary rotation could also prove important, it's generally the slot where the most opportunity exists at wideout in the Denver offense.
Franklin was a somewhat coveted fourth-round pick out of Oregon and remains a fine prospect for the Broncos, but it's Bryant who might project better for the remaining playing time in Denver. Franklin (6-2, 187) is perilously thin and doesn't have the natural hands necessary to hold up in traffic. Despite drawing an otherwise encouraging 53 targets on 365 snaps as a rookie, Franklin caught only 28 of his 53 targets for 263 yards (52.8-percent catch rate, 5.0 YPT). Total failure.
Franklin will likely improve despite those struggles – he won't turn 23 until February – yet in the meantime Bryant likely offers strength specifically in the areas that Franklin is dubious. More specifically, Bryant thrives in traffic and offers a clear upgrade over Franklin in terms of catch rate.
Bryant (6-2, 204) doesn't have the speed to press downfield, but that point is largely moot because he wins in other ways – namely with hands and route running – and moreover the downfield routes are all claimed by Sutton and Mims already. Where the slack exists in this rotation is over the middle, and especially from the slot.
Bryant is a natural technician in short spaces and contested catch situations. In addition to potentially claiming the slot snaps that don't go to Engram, Bryant likely offers enough as a boundary wideout to emerge as the third perimeter receiver for Denver after Sutton and Mims. Particularly if Sutton or Mims were to miss time, this is one of the subtle position battles that could affect the fantasy season more than expected.
Jaylen Wright vs. Ollie Gordon, RB, MIA
The Dolphins depth chart at running back has changed rapidly over the last couple weeks, with former roster favorite Alexander Mattison (neck) going down for the year while previously presumed RB2 Jaylen Wright largely struggled in he preseason, even before suffering a leg injury August 21. That injury figures to keep Wright inactive for Week 1.
Ollie Gordon was as low as fourth on the depth chart going into training camp, yet since then he has applied serious pressure on Wright for the RB2 role. It's possible that Gordon already won that position battle and perhaps already outranks Wright on the Dolphins depth chart, a development made even more important given the uncertainty around tiny, overworked RB1 De'Von Achane.
Gordon is slowish and doesn't offer much wiggle as a big back, but at 6-foot-1, 226 pound Gordon runs with convincing power and can withstand a mammoth workload. If Achane were to miss time there's a good chance that Gordon would plug in as a workhorse replacement. Before his down 2024 season, no one would have blinked if Gordon had gone in the top 40 picks of the 2024 NFL draft. It could very well age poorly that he fell to the sixth round, to Miami's benefit.
Check out how injuries are affecting recent player performance and season-long outlook on RotoWire's NFL injury report.
Julius Chestnut vs. Kalel Mullings, RB, TEN
Tyjae Spears will miss at least the first four games with a high ankle sprain, meaning the RB2 spot on the Titans depth chart could see considerable playing time in September.
Although it was one of the league's less-discussed position battles, Julius Chestnut and Kalel Mullings both made good impressions as they competed for the Power Back role on the Titans depth chart. Coach Brian Callahan had hoped to use a power back more in the 2025 offense, both for general balance purposes and to spare Tony Pollard the harshest carries.
Pollard was overworked in 2024, both in terms of general volume and in terms of the power carries he was burdened with. Pollard is a former receiver who strains to establish anchor – it doesn't suit him to send him into the teeth of a readied defense.
Chestnut (5-11, 228) has a tank-like build yet has proven himself a decent kick returner of all things, so he clearly moves well for a running back his size. Chestnut is slowish, though (4.61-second pro day 40) and it's possible that Mullings (6-2, 226) offers more athleticism.
Despite having a comparably high center of gravity relative to Chestnut, Mullings has unusual flexibility for a player of his height and has the ability to set anchor more like a 5-foot-11 running back. Sometimes players are capable of movements atypical for their build class, and Mullings looks like one of those guys.
That Mullings is in only his third full year at running back might make Chestnut the favorite to begin the year as Pollard's top backup, especially since Mullings is managing an ankle injury. If Chestnut fails to produce in the audition, though, then there's reason to believe Mullings can apply pressure for the RB2 role.
Given that Chestnut and Mullings both complement Pollard better than Spears, who is more so of a redundancy relative to Pollard, it's possible that whoever wins between Chestnut and Mullings could emerge as the RB2 in Tennessee for the full duration of the season, even when Spears returns.
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