Week 1 of the NFL Regular Season is just about in the books, so it’s time to start tweaking your fantasy football roster to get ready for Week 2. One area that depth is especially critical is in the backfield since running backs get banged up as the season goes along. As you hit the waiver wire coming out of Week 1, a couple of strong rookie options stand out after big Week 1 showings. In this post, we’ll take a look at Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Dylan Sampson as potentially the top two waiver wire adds for fantasy football Week 2.
Running back is just one of the places to be aggressive on the waiver wire after Week 1, so be sure to stay locked in to DK Network for all the fantasy football coverage you need throughout the season. Each Sunday night, you can get my early Waiver Wire Pickups as a place to start and find plenty of strategy and insight throughout the week. You can find all our fantasy football coverage on the Fantasy Advice hub and all my posts by checking out my author feed.
Let’s dive in take a look at these two young running backs and decide how to approach the week 2 waiver wire.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt Fantasy Football Outlook
The Commanders drafted Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round out of Arizona, but they’ve quickly promoted the rookie into a meaningful role, and even traded away Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers since they were so confident in “Bill.”
Croskey-Merritt didn’t start the game, but he made a splash after taking over from Austin Ekeler. He ended up playing 47% of snaps and taking 50% of team’s RB carries. He finished with 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Bill found the end zone on a six-yard run in the second quarter, and in the fourth quarter, he broke free for this impressive 42-yard burst. Commanders fans have quickly fallen in love with Croskey-Merritt, and were quick to point out that his play was longer than any run that Brian Robinson Jr. had in three years with the team.
Croskey-Merritt will continue to rotate with Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols with Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jayden Daniels also grabbing some rushing yards. It’s clear, though, that coach Dan Quinn is ready to trust the rookie in a big role, and that he’ll be a key producer for the ascending offense going forward.
In Week 2, the Commanders have a tough matchup on Thursday Night Football in Green Bay, but then things get a little easier with matchups against the Raiders and Falcons to finish the month.
I’m still working on my RB rankings for Week 2, but he’s probably just a fringe FLEX play due to the matchup, with the upside to be a strong RB2 after that.
For what it’s worth, Croskey-Merritt said he got the nickname from having a bald head when he was little, causing him to resemble the cartoon character Little Bill. After the way he looked in Week 1, he may earn his fantasy investors plenty of “bills” with an impressive rookie season.
Dylan Sampson Fantasy Football Outlook
Sampson was another rookie running back with a big Week 1 workload, as he and the Browns hosted the Bengals. The Browns drafted Sampson out of Tennessee in the fourth round, and he stepped up with his fellow-rookie, second-round pick Quinshon Judkins unavailable.
Sampson played 45% of his team’s offensive snaps but handled most of the workload over veteran Jerome Ford. He had 12 carries for 29 yards and ran 16 routes, drawing eight targets and converting them into 64 yards. He finished with 93 total yards on 20 touches.
Sampson lost a short rushing touchdown to Raheim Sanders, who had only three carries, but no running back was more effective and efficient than Sampson.
Judkins was dealing with criminal charges this offseason and remained unsigned until Saturday, just before Week 1. He missed the entirety of training camp while away from the team, and he could need time to ramp up in the team’s offense. Even though he could play as soon as Week 2, Sampson should keep a large role in the short term.
Even when Judkins is up to speed, Sampson should hold onto his third-down role after showing a great understanding of the passing game in Week 1 and earning so many looks from Joe Flacco. Sampson could be a PPR beast if he remains in that role since the Browns could find themselves playing from behind often this season.
In Week 2, the Browns take on the Ravens, before running the NFC North gauntlet by facing the Packers, Lions and Vikings. The matchup against Minnesota is a home game for the Browns, but it will be played in London as part of the Week 5 schedule.
The Bottom Line
Both running backs are great pickups from the week 2 waiver wire. Croskey-Merritt is owned in most serious leagues, but if he happens to be available in yours, I’d make him a slightly higher priority since his role is more secure and his team’s offense a little more “high octane.”
If Bill is already owned, Sampson is a great alternative, especially in the next few weeks while Judkins picks up the offense. The rookie duo could be a great 1-2 backfield split for the Browns this season, and both should be owned in standard-sized leagues going forward.
