Who Should I Start? Elijah Mitchell or Dylan Sampson

Monday, March 10, 12:48 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs are signing free-agent running back Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) to a one-year deal worth up to $3.5 million on Monday, sources tell FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. Mitchell, who was a sixth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 out of Louisiana, will now join the Chiefs backfield as depth behind Isiah Pacheco for the 2025 season. Barring another injury for the injury-plagued RB, he'll likely enter Week 1 this fall as the No. 2 behind Pacheco. Mitchell has averaged a healthy 4.7 yards per carry on 327 rushing attempts over his three seasons in the NFL, but he's only appeared in 27 games (12 starts) due to injury. He suffered a hamstring injury in training camp last year and was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve in August before the regular season even began. At best, Mitchell will be a deep-league handcuff option for those that have Pacheco rostered.

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.