Who Should I Start? DJ Moore or Dylan Sampson

Saturday, January 3, 3:53 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore followed up back-to-back top-seven fantasy performances in Weeks 15 and 16 with a one catch, 25-yard outing in Week 17 that was good enough for WR97 in Half-PPR formats. All of this came after finishing Week 14 with negative yardage. Although he came into Week 17 with an illness that threatened to keep him sidelined, this has been the DJ Moore experience for most of the season, alternating brilliant performances with colossal letdowns. For fantasy managers still competing for a Week 18 championship, Moore is hard to trust, even against Detroit's bottom-three pass defense. Luther Burden III (quad) carries no injury designation into Sunday after being carted off the field at the end of Chicago's Sunday Night loss to the 49ers, and Olamide Zaccheaus (illness) has been a full practice participant after missing the same game with an illness of his own. Moore is RotoBaller's WR26 for the week, but he comes with considerable risk.

Saturday, January 3, 12:12 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson returned from calf and hand injuries that sidelined him for two games in Week 17 and recorded 27 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (leg, ankle) on Injured Reserve, Sampson should have a chance to lead his team's backfield once again in Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati has been one of the NFL's worst rush defenses in 2025, ranking 30th in the league in yards per carry allowed (5.2) and 32nd in runs of 20 or more yards allowed (19). Sampson will likely split touches with Browns backs Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams in Week 18, which limits his ceiling. However, Sampson has recorded 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets across his last four games, which provides a relatively safe PPR floor. Fantasy managers should view Sampson as a low-end flex option in Week 18 against Cincinnati.