Who Should I Start? James Conner or Quinshon Judkins

Wednesday, January 1, 4:15 PM

According to the team, the Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (knee) was placed on injured reserve, which will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 season. In a corresponding move, Michael Carter was promoted to the active roster. Conner suffered a knee injury during their Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers and was listed as questionable leading up to their Week 17 tilt against the Rams. Conner was able to suit up in this contest but exited the game after just 12 offensive snaps. In this game, Conner ran the ball just four times for four yards and brought in two receptions for four yards. Rookie Trey Benson (ankle) is also on injured reserve, which will leave DeeJay Dallas and now Michael Carter as the lone backs for their final game. Carter saw the most work when Conner exited both games, which suggests he will be the lead option on Sunday afternoon.

Monday, April 28, 11:17 PM

The Cleveland Browns think very highly of running back Quinshon Judkins' potential at the next level after selecting him at No. 36 overall in the second round of the NFL draft last Friday. "Not necessarily saying that he's going to, with certainty, develop into one of those players, we certainly hope that's the case, but we think that he can be a bell cow runner that can really carry the load for us," general manager Andrew Berry said. The Browns' quarterback situation in 2025 could hold Judkins and the rest of their offense back, but it doesn't change the fact that the 21-year-old rookie has a real chance to be the team's RB1 over Jerome Ford sooner than later. It's unclear exactly how Judkins and Ford will coexist in this backfield, but head coach Kevin Stefanski said they want to use Judkins "in a bunch of different ways." Judkins will be more valuable in standard-scoring formats, but his explosiveness and three-down ability will make him an interesting sleeper at the RB position in 2025.