Who Should I Start? Emanuel Wilson or Dylan Sampson

Friday, February 27, 3:18 PM

The Green Bay Packers are not placing a tender on impending free-agent running back Emanuel Wilson, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Wilson will hit the free-agent market this offseason after carrying the ball a career-high 125 times for 496 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. He added a career-best 15 catches on 17 targets for 99 yards and no touchdowns through the air in his third year in the NFL. It remains to be seen if the Packers have any interest in bringing Wilson back as the backup to starter Josh Jacobs. The 26-year-old filled in nicely as a plug-and-play RB2 in fantasy lineups last year in the two games that Jacobs missed due to injury, but outside of that, he was merely a handcuff for Jacobs. Wilson will likely operate as a backup somewhere else if he leaves in free agency. In his three seasons in Green Bay, he's averaged a healthy 4.5 yards per carry for 1,083 yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 242 carries.

Wednesday, February 11, 9:49 AM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson spent most of his rookie season as the team's primary receiving back, but following a late-season injury to fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins, he was given the opportunity to serve as Cleveland's lead back for the final two games of 2025. Unfortunately, playing behind an offensive line that struggled throughout the year to open running lanes or keep a revolving door of quarterbacks off the ground, he finished those two games with only 59 yards on 21 carries. With Judkins' status uncertain for the beginning of 2026, Sampson will likely get first crack at primary duties yet again, but unless Cleveland is able to drastically overhaul their offensive line in year one under new head coach Todd Monken, the bulk of his value will still come through his passing work. Sampson will look to improve on his 33 receptions as a rookie, but given his current surroundings, he is not a player who needs to be aggressively pursued.