Emmett Johnson · Jacory Croskey-Merritt · 2026 week 8

Emmett Johnson or Jacory Croskey-Merritt?

Wondering who you should start this week — Emmett Johnson or Jacory Croskey-Merritt? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Jacory Croskey-MerrittJacory Croskey-Merritt projects 4.7 PPR points clear of Emmett Johnson in week 8, drawing CIN — the 29th-ranked matchup for RBs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 8	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Emmett Johnson	@ DEN	4.2	13th	3.4	123	healthy
Jacory Croskey-Merritt START	vs CIN	8.9	29th · tough	8.8	137	IR

RBs vs DEN recently: Kimani Vidal 11.6 pts (W5) · George Holani 8 pts (W6) · Zonovan Knight 6.3 pts (W7).

RBs vs CIN recently: Chris Rodriguez Jr. 9.5 pts (W4) · Ollie Gordon II 14.8 pts (W5) · Derrick Henry 4.9 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

Jacory Croskey-Merritt projects 4.7 points higher in PPR.
Emmett Johnson faces DEN, 13th most generous to RBs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt faces CIN, 29th most generous to RBs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is flagged OUT.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Jacory Croskey-Merritt carries the higher trade value — 137 against 123 (a 10% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Jacory Croskey-Merritt gets the most. Momentum: Emmett Johnson -164 and Jacory Croskey-Merritt -680 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More RB decisions

Emmett Johnson or Kaelon Black?Emmett Johnson or Tyler Allgeier?Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Seth McGowan?Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Kaelon Black?Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Tyler Allgeier?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.