Who Should I Start? Isaac Guerendo or Dylan Sampson

Monday, August 4, 3:26 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) is expected to miss a couple of weeks, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. Guerendo will miss time after getting injured during Saturday's training camp practice. While the 25-year-old still has time to get ready for the start of the regular season, he will miss important reps during practice and the preseason as he gets ready to serve as Christian McCaffrey's primary backup in 2025. With Guerendo now out for a few weeks, it will give rookie Jordan James more opportunities to run with the first-team offense when CMC needs a breather. In addition to James, Patrick Taylor Jr. and Ameer Abdullah should see more work in practices. When healthy, Guerendo's raw athletic abilities make him an intriguing handcuff if you take the leap on McCaffrey.

Thursday, August 14, 11:48 AM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson was the first running back up in the rotation during Wednesday and Thursday's joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to The Athletic's Zac Jackson. The fourth-round rookie's stock has grown throughout training camp. Second-round pick Quinshon Judkins is involved in legal trouble and hasn't signed a contract with the Browns. That makes Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. the biggest competitors for touches. Ford took a pay cut to remain with Cleveland, and the coaching staff may be favoring the rookie over the fourth-year veteran. The Browns are projected to have one of the league's worst offenses, and running back touchdowns may be hard to come by. Both Ford and Sampson are double-digit fantasy football selections. The rookie is a sleeper for what could be a heavy workload this season.