Who Should I Start? Emanuel Wilson or Dylan Sampson

Sunday, January 5, 5:02 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson led the Packers in carries and was one of the main contributors in the Packers' 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 18. Wilson saw a handful of carries on the Packers' second drive but took the bulk of his work once starter Josh Jacobs left after his second-quarter touchdown. Tallying 73 rushing yards on 14 carries, a good chunk of those yards came on Wilson's 21-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that put the Packers within striking distance. Wilson also caught one pass for minus-two yards. With the Packers heading east to Philadelphia for their playoff game with the Eagles in the Wild Card round, Wilson will remain the backup to Jacobs without a realistic path to substantial work for playoff fantasy contests.

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.