Who Should I Start? J.K. Dobbins or Dylan Sampson

Monday, July 28, 5:06 PM

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that running back J.K. Dobbins' transition to the offense has been "swift." It appears that the Broncos' decision to sign Dobbins in early June so that he could enter the offseason break with the playbook was a good move. Dobbins is going to share the backfield with rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey in his first year in Denver, but so far in training camp, the 26-year-old former Raven has seen most of the work with the first-team offense. Harvey could easily take over the early-down role for the Broncos sooner than later in 2025, but if Dobbins can stay healthy, he should be in play in PPR fantasy leagues as an RB3/flex option. Dobbins played in just nine games from 2021-23 due to injuries and also missed four games in 2024 with the Chargers due to an MCL sprain, so the lengthy injury history is certainly concerning.

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.