Quinshon Judkins or Dylan Sampson or Jerome Ford: Which Browns RB should I start vs. Ravens in Week 2?

The Cleveland Browns have begun a new era at running back in the 2025 season.

Multiple-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb is gone, having taken the opposite direction as Deshaun Watson and joined the Houston Texans to back up Joe Mixon. In his place is a positional committee.

Veteran Jerome Ford is now joined by a pair of rookies who, if coached right and well, may each become a key contributor to the team - Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. As they prepare to visit their "successor" franchise in the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, who has the most fantasy upside among the three?

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Quinshon Judkins vs. Dylan Sampson vs. Jerome Ford Week 2 fantasy preview and outlook

Quinshon Judkins did not record a single statistic against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, so barely any information can be gleaned from him based on that game. However, Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson did play that game, so they are whom this analysis will largely focus on.

Los Angeles Rams v Cleveland Browns - NFL Preseason 2025 - Source: Getty

Based on his output so far, Ford is not someone to trust. The Bengals are said to have one of the weakest defenses in the league, and yet they managed to hold him to a paltry six yards on eight carries for a lowly RB35. Sometime ago, he was doing well as an emergency starter after Nick Chubb's horrific injury, but he could not crack even double-digits against a unit that would be blown out by elites.

Cincinnati Bengals v Cleveland Browns - NFL 2025 - Source: Getty

He is fortunate to have not started, because Sampson was not much better despite finishing as the RB9 and catching eight passes for 64 yards. On the ground, he was limited to only 29 yards on 12 carries.

And just in case a fantasy owner thinks it cannot get any worse, it can. The Ravens have a monstrous run-stopping core that includes tackles Travis Jones and Nnamdi Madubuike and linebackers Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson. This will certainly force Kevin Stefanski to try turning to the passing game, but the Ravens' secondary is also very deep and can shut down any target anywhere, anytime.

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Which Browns RB should I start in Week 2: Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, or Jerome Ford?

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It certainly looks bad for the Browns, who may be kept out of the end zone the whole afternoon - or worse, shut out. Nevertheless, should one still insist on starting any of their running backs, Sampson is the best bet according to the Sportskeeda Start/Sit Optimizer.

However, he is better at being a FLEX given the receiving potential he showed on Sunday, even though Ford has the higher projection in that metric at 13.5 yards - the only one in the double-digits among the group.

As for Judkins, he is expected to finally play, so this is the point where he can finally be analyzed.

Edited by Andre Castillo