Who Should I Start? Braelon Allen or Dylan Sampson

Wednesday, July 23, 10:58 AM

New York Jets beat reporter Nick Faria writes that running back Braelon Allen is a perfect fit for this type of offense and is expected to be a regular contributor in a committee approach. Breece Hall is the starter in the Jets offense in the backfield, but Allen and Isaiah Davis will be involved. Allen, a fourth-rounder (134th overall) in 2024 out of Wisconsin, had 92 carries in his rookie season and gained 334 yards on the ground with two touchdowns in 17 games (two starts). He added 19 receptions for 148 yards and another score. The 21-year-old is built as more of a power back with limited speed, but he also proved early last year that he's polished as a pass-catcher. He lost opportunities to Davis down the stretch in 2024, but it's good news for Allen that the Jets want to be a dominant run-first offense under the new coaching staff. Allen's best path to fantasy relevance will be as a goal-line back.

Saturday, June 28, 11:38 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson received work "as a running back and a receiver" during minicamp, according to RBs coach Duce Staley. Staley went on to add that Sampson "is able to go play in the slot and also he's able to go and play on third down and maybe sprinkle in a little second down." The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Dan Labbe thinks that heading into training camp, rookies Quinshon Judkins and Sampson figure to be the top two backs, with Jerome Ford serving as the primary third-down back. The 20-year-old Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns (5.8 yards per carry) in 2024 at Tennessee, but he wasn't all that involved as a pass-catcher. He's a speedy back that could be worth a dart throw in deep PPR formats, but most likely he'll be an inconsistent fantasy performer unless Judkins misses time with an injury.