Who Should I Start? Ashton Jeanty or Quinshon Judkins

Monday, October 6, 3:17 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll had some good words to say about rookie first-round running back Ashton Jeanty after his first five games in the league. "I think Ashton is handling everything beautifully," Carroll said. The 21-year-old Boise State product was a disappointment for fantasy managers who took him early in drafts through the first three weeks, but then he showcased his game-changing playmaking skills in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears when he ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on a season-high 21 carries. He has two rushing TDs and has also added two receiving scores, but he only has 12 receptions through five weeks. In the Week 5 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Jeanty had single-game career highs in targets, catches, and receiving yards. It hasn't been perfect early on in the Raiders' struggling offense, but Jeanty's explosiveness is evident, making him a must-start RB1 every week. He could easily bust out again in Week 6 versus the one-win Titans.

Sunday, October 5, 1:31 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was his team's star of the show Sunday in a loss to Minnesota, compiling 128 total yards with a feature back's workload. The rookie from Ohio State drew 23 carries for 110 yards, caught one of two targets for another 18, and was by far his team's top choice out of the backfield. Judkins has now surpassed 90 total yards in all three games in which he played 50% of his team's snaps, which is a highly encouraging sign for managers who drafted him. With quarterback Dillon Gabriel earning a trial run as the starter, Cleveland is likely to continue riding two-tight end sets and its running game, making Judkins an excellent fantasy commodity going forward.