Late Round Deep Sleepers

One of the keys to taking home a championship in December is selecting guys that have the ability to drastically outperform their draft position. In year’s past we’ve seen selections in the later rounds (11+) turn into league winners. Some recent examples include rookie Alvin Kamara in 2017 and rookie Alfred Morris in 2012. However, pinpointing who these young players could be may not be as challenging as you think. One of the best ways is by identifying which young running backs have the easiest pathway to taking over their backfield. With that being said, let’s have a look at two rookies who could end up leading their team in carries by the end of the season.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

RB • WAS

SEASONAL STATS

📊 Projections

📈 2025 Season Projections

PPR Points

40.4

Rush Attempts

52

Rush Yards

216

Rush TDs

2

Receptions

4

Receiving Yards

28

Jacory Croskey-Merrit:

JCM, or “Bill,” as Jayden Daniels and his other Commanders teammates refer to him, has been one of the big winners throughout the early stages of training camp. The seventh round pick in this year’s draft only played one collegiate game last season at Arizona after dealing with eligibility issues. However, in the year prior at New Mexico, he rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns. Additionally, he showed off his explosiveness while running a 4.45 40-yard dash at his pro day a few months ago. Now, he’s turning heads left and right at Commanders camp, even getting multiple runs with the first-team offense. Perhaps even more importantly, the competition in the Commanders backfield can be described as shaky at best. The two backs that JCM will have to overtake at some point this season are 30 year old Austin Ekeler, who just simply does not have the same burst as he did years ago, and Brian Robinson Jr, who has never exceeded 800 rushing yards in his three seasons despite getting at least 178 rushing attempts in each of those years. Overall, the opportunity is there for the young back to make a name for himself in Washington. If you find yourself looking for a deep sleeper in one of the final two rounds of your draft, take a flyer on JCM. He might just end up being the reason you get sized for your championship ring. 

Jaydon Blue

RB • DAL

SEASONAL STATS

📊 Projections

📈 2025 Season Projections

PPR Points

124.4

Rush Attempts

130

Rush Yards

552

Rush TDs

3

Receptions

26

Receiving Yards

192

Jaydon Blue:

Blue was selected by the Cowboys in the fifth round of this past year’s draft, and immediately finds himself competing for a significant role in the Dallas backfield. While he showed off his explosiveness with a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, perhaps Blue’s biggest upside is displayed in his receiving work out of the backfield. In his final collegiate season at Texas he recorded a 42-368-6 receiving line. Additionally, his fellow backfield mates in Dallas simply have not performed well in years past, opening the door for Blue to make an instant impact in the offense. One of which is Javonte Williams, who struggled to produce numbers in Denver despite being given every opportunity to become the workhorse back. The other is Miles Sanders, a 28 year old back who is coming off two incredibly disappointing years in Carolina. Neither of these guys should pose an immense amount of competition for touches. While Blue will undoubtedly have to work his way up the depth chart, as most rookies do, the talent is there to do so, and so too is the opportunity. Don’t be afraid to draft Blue with one of your final selections in your upcoming draft.