The Washington Commanders 2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Roundup

The Washington Commanders didn’t have many needs on offense in this draft, at least not at skill positions. Last year’s rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, defied all expectations and took the league by storm. They added Deebo Samuel in the offseason, and re-signed Zach Ertz to go with last year’s second-round pick Ben Sinnott, and Jake Bates. The running back room, with Brian Robinson at the helm, has the most problems, but they still have B-Rob and Austin Ekeler as their one-two punch. The Commanders ultimately did not take a fantasy-relevant player until day three, but they took a top-ten running back for me in this class in round seven. So, let’s dive in!

Round 4, Pick 128: Jaylin Lane, Wide Receiver, Virginia Tech (5’10”, 191 lbs)

TALENT

Most of the guys in this class are good at sprinting past the defense or finding the hole in the zone. Lane is more of the first, but I feel his ability to shed defenders at the top of his route stem has been underrated by pundits. He dominates the slant, and he can take it a long way. He’s a short, elusive receiver who can do a lot of damage with the ball in his hand, and who teams could use in the slot and returning kicks in week one.

Virginia Tech knew what they had in Lane (an exceptional athlete, posting a 9.56 RAS), generating a lot of touches because he is best with the ball in his hands. While Lane has a moderate amount of dog in him and didn’t shy away from contact, he is still only 191 pounds. He can get overpowered by stronger defenders, and will not be a 50/50 ball guy at any point. Still, we’ve seen his overall profile before, and he can find sustained success in the NFL.

NFL Comparison: Brandin Cooks
Predraft Grade: 4^th Round

2025 OPPORTUNITY

Depth Chart:
WR1     Terry McLaurin
WR2     Deebo Samuel
WR3     Noah Brown
WR4     K.J. Osborn
WR5     Jaylin Lane
WR6     Luke McCaffrey

Lane is the type of guy you could easily put at the bottom of this depth chart, or just behind Deebo Samuel as the squad’s WR3. Brown and Osborn are not exciting options and will likely cede targets to Jaylin Lane sooner or later. Lane provides a different aspect than Deebo and McLaurin, as he is a more jitterbug receiver than the Alpha McLaurin and the “WRB1” role provided by Deebo Samuel. However, it’ll take a lot for him to get enough opportunities for me to get excited about him. The Kliff Kingsbury Offense generally revolves around hyperfocusing on the #1 and #2 receivers, to the detriment of everyone else. The WR3 in a Kliff Kingsbury Offense in the NFL averages between 4 and 5 targets per game.

2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK

If injuries move Lane up the depth chart past Deebo Samuel or Terry McLaurin, I might be interested in Lane. But, he’s in a three-way battle to win the ability to get about five targets per game. That isn’t enough opportunity to matter for fantasy football.

Round 7, Pick 245: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Running Back, Arizona (5’10” 206 lbs)

TALENT

JCM is an intriguing prospect, as he has a lot of wiggle behind the line of scrimmage. He was the East-West Shrine Game MVP, but played just one game for Arizona before eligibility requirements caused Arizona to hold him out for the rest of the season. But in that one game, he did show some intriguing traits. First, he has the best pass protection in this draft. He was able to get his pads low and stop would-be sackers in their tracks.

Second, with the ball in his hand, he has a lot of wiggle behind the line of scrimmage, which hides his patience and vision. JCM is always looking for that cutback lane, but he makes great the enemy of good. Once he finds where he wants to go, he runs with decisiveness, which makes for a plus set of traits.

He has the size, is a willing blocker, and is a good pass catcher, which will get him on the roster to start the year as a proper third-down back. However, his athleticism could press the issue and give him more than that. He might need some seasoning and would benefit from not getting pressed into service immediately at the NFL level.

NFL Comparison: Aaron Jones
Predraft Grade: 5^th Round

2025 OPPORTUNITY

Depth Chart:
RB1      Brian Robinson
RB2      Austin Ekeler
RB3      Jacory Croskey-Merritt
RB4      Jeremy McNichols
RB5      Chris Rodriguez, Jr.

JCM has one of the better thunder backs in the league ahead of him, with Brian Robinson having a stranglehold on the RB1 role in Washington. Austin Ekeler—in theory—has a hold of the RB2 role (Quick aside, the em dash above is apparently a sign that AI wrote something. I promise these takes sprang forth from my dome, like Athena coming out of Zeus’ head). But, Ekeler has an extensive injury history, and turned 30 in May. That, not the Brian Robinson role, gives JCM his in.

JCM could easily steal Austin Ekeler’s lightning role from this Thunder & Lightning backfield duo. This is a fruitful role, as Brian Robinson plays on just 55% of snaps, and received just shy of a 59% opportunity share. Should Croskey-Merritt wrest the small side of the platoon from Austin Ekeler, he has the skills to make for a high-floor play in all leagues, or at least the makings of a PPR scam god.

2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK

I’m drafting Jacory Croskey-Merritt in all my rookie drafts… in the fourth round. He also spent several weeks as the most-added player post-draft on Sleeper’s fantasy football platform. I’m also laser-focused on getting him in the Scott Fish Bowl.

But, I am not getting too far over my skis. I know that he went in the seventh round, and getting him in the fourth in rookie drafts, or well past the fifteenth round in a crazy giant league, is far different from advocating taking him in standard fantasy football leagues. But if Brian Robinson or Austin Ekeler suffer an injury, he is a must-add in all leagues. He’s also a player I would monitor for any buzz in the offseason. There’s a non-zero chance that an offseason injury to Ekeler will give him a chance to show his skills, and he will surpass Ekeler on the depth chart entirely.