3 Fantasy Football Rookies & NFL Training Camp Buzz (2025)

We have a full slate of preseason games this week, and the heart of fantasy football draft season is just ahead. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and begin our draft prep in earnest.

FantasyPros analysts Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson and Pat Fitzmaurice continue a series of preseason roundtables by discussing some of the rookies drawing training camp buzz.

You can find the first article in our roundtable series here.

Fantasy Football Roundtable: Rookies Drawing NFL Traning Camp Buzz

Of all the rookies drawing training-camp buzz, who are you much more interested in drafting now than you were a few weeks ago?

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB – WSH)

Andrew Erickson: Jacory Croskey-Merritt (aka “Bill”), a seventh-round rookie running back for the Washington Commanders, has been generating a ton of hype out of training camp, confirming what I saw from him during the pre-draft process.

Corskey-Merritt fell to the seventh round because he barely played last season (one game because of eligibility concerns), not because of talent. In 2023, Croskey-Merritt recorded more than 1,200 total yards and scored 18 touchdowns at New Mexico (with a 33% dominator rating) as Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) fourth-highest graded running back.

Meanwhile, incumbent Brian Robinson Jr. is just an average, replaceable back on an expiring deal. Robinson was a bottom-five running back in efficiency over his final 11 games of 2024. Croskey-Merritt might take that No. 1 RB job sooner than you think.

Dont’e Thornton Jr. (WR – LV)

Derek Brown: I was never anti-Dont’e Thornton, but now I’m much more interested in taking the plunge in the final round of my drafts than I was previously. The athletic makeup and big-play potential are there, especially when you look at the pairing with quarterback Geno Smith.

While Thornton likely won’t be a high-end target share earner, he’ll have plenty of spike weeks, which can put you over the top at a Flex spot since he’s paired with Smith, who last year ranked first in catchable target rate and sixth in highly accurate throw rate on downfield targets, per Fantasy Points Data.

Emeka Egbuka (WR – TB)

Pat Fitzmaurice: It was easy to like Emeka Egbuka as a prospect coming out of Ohio State, and it was attention-grabbing that the Buccaneers spent a first-round pick on him despite already having Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan in their wide receiver room. The question was whether Egbuka could earn enough targets to be a useful fantasy asset in Year 1.

Egbuka has drawn raves for his performance in training camp — including, notably, from Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. With Godwin reportedly behind schedule in his recovery from a dislocated ankle, Egbuka might have a chance to make fantasy-relevant contributions immediately.