Jacory Croskey-Merritt · Kaelon Black · 2026 week 8

Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Kaelon Black?

Wondering who you should start this week — Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Kaelon Black? 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 3.4 PPR points clear of Kaelon Black 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
Jacory Croskey-Merritt START	vs CIN	8.9	29th · tough	8.8	137	IR
Kaelon Black	vs LV	5.5	4th · soft	5.7	330	healthy

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

RBs vs LV recently: Rhamondre Stevenson 14.5 pts (W5) · James Cook III 21.3 pts (W6) · Kyren Williams 16.1 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

Jacory Croskey-Merritt projects 3.4 points higher in PPR.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt faces CIN, 29th most generous to RBs.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is flagged OUT.
Kaelon Black faces LV, 4th most generous to RBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Kaelon Black carries the higher trade value — 330 against 137 (a 58% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Kaelon Black gets the most. Momentum: Jacory Croskey-Merritt -680 and Kaelon Black +1 over the last 30 days.

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

More RB decisions

Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Seth McGowan?Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Tyler Allgeier?Kaelon Black or J.K. Dobbins?Kaelon Black or Emanuel Wilson?Kaelon Black or Seth McGowan?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.