Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Quinshon Judkins

Thursday, January 2, 2:02 PM

Cleveland Browns running backs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion) have both been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Ford sprained his ankle in the Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins and will be unavailable to play in the final game of the season. With Nick Chubb (foot) getting a late start in 2024 while recovering from a gruesome knee injury he suffered in 2023, Ford opened 2024 as Cleveland's RB1 and will finish the year as their leading rusher with 104 rushing attempts for 565 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and a team-high-tying three rushing touchdowns. With both Ford and Strong out this weekend, D'Onta Foreman will be in play as a low-upside RB3/flex for fantasy managers as the team's lead back. John Kelly should serve as his backup.

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.