Who Should I Start? James Conner or Dylan Sampson


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.4 10.9 0.1 0.9 6.5 0.0

James Conner News

James Conner Progressing, But No Timeline for Team Work

Saturday, August 15, 8:09 AM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said on Saturday that running back James Conner (foot) is progressing, but there's no timeline for him to participate in 11-on-11 work in training camp, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. LaFleur added that it's not about a return to play, but a return to performance. Conner's injury recovery from a season-ending foot/ankle injury that he suffered in Week 3 of last year has taken on a little more importance after it was just announced that rookie first-round RB Jeremiyah Love will miss at least one week with a sore ankle that he suffered in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night. With both Conner and Love sidelined in camp, it will give more opportunities to Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson in Arizona's backfield. Conner is unlikely to play in any preseason games this year, but he could be ready for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. If both Love and Allgeier are healthy for that contest, Conner figures to be the Cardinals' RB3, leaving him a very small path to fantasy relevance.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
6.1 16.9 0.1 1.9 14.8 0.1

Dylan Sampson News

Dylan Sampson a Top Handcuff Despite Browns' Question Marks?

Sunday, August 16, 6:14 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson possesses value in redraft leagues despite his role as the backup to Quinshon Judkins. Sampson could have some standalone value as a pass-catching option behind Judkins, but more importantly, he's a top handcuff running back in fantasy football. Sampson had at least 10 carries in each of the three games that Judkins missed last year, and he was even more impactful in the passing game with 4.7 targets per game that Judkins missed. We're not very high on the Browns' offense with Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders under center, but Sampson could still become a volume-based RB2 option if Judkins were to miss time in 2026. He currently has an ADP of 162, which lines up with the 14th round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 52nd running back off the board. That's in line with the experts' opinions on Sampson, who ranks as the RB55 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for 2026.


James Conner vs. Dylan Sampson

Still trying to decide between Conner and Sampson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that James Conner is projected to score 3.4 points this week while Dylan Sampson is projected to score 6.1 points.